Say You Won't Let Go
by Shananigans402
Summary: Follow Santana and Dani on the tumultuous highs and lows of life, love, and friendship in New York.
1. Never Read the Comments

Dani walked into her apartment and dropped her bag beside the door where it landed with a heavy thud. "Babe, I'm home," she called out, the thought of seeing her beautiful girlfriend already making the stress of a long day fade away.

She didn't get a reply and began wandering in search of the other woman. Back when they lived in a minuscule studio apartment in Brooklyn, it hadn't been difficult to know where the other one was at all times. However, with both of them doing very well in their respective careers, they were able to afford a much nicer two-bedroom apartment in Tribeca. While Dani loved having more space, it occasionally meant playing an impromptu game of hide-and-seek to find her girlfriend.

Eventually her search paid off when she found Santana sitting on their bed, hunched over her laptop. It only took a moment to notice her girlfriend was absorbed in whatever was on her screen, and quite frustrated judging by the way she was angrily typing away at the keyboard.

"Hey babe," she said as she leaned against the doorway, cautiously appraising the scene before her, "Is everything okay?"

"No," Santana snapped, glancing up to acknowledge her girlfriend's presence before returning her full attention to her laptop. "Some people are fucking idiots who have no taste and think they're entitled to share their stupid opinions online for everyone to see! There should be some sort of option to ban people from social media because they have such shitty opinions!"

Dani was confused by the rant and wandered closer to the bed. As soon as she was close enough to see the screen, an amused smile crossed her face, "Is someone trolling you on Twitter, babe?"

"No," Santana shot back, still furiously typing at her keyboard.

Dani crawled on the bed until she could see what exactly had her girlfriend so enraged. Santana was replying to someone, but the original message was what caught her attention, "Wait, did that person tweet at me?"

"Yes!" Santana replied, as if the answer to the question should have been obvious. "Some of these assholes apparently can't understand great music and have the gall to tweet that they don't like your album! I'm just doing the world a favor by letting them know they have no business sharing their opinions with anyone ever, because they're so stupid and wrong!"

"Let's put a pause on this for a second," Dani said as she carefully slid the laptop away from her girlfriend, who let out a huff and fixed Dani with a scowl. "Babe," she said as she shifted to face her girlfriend, "While I think it's incredibly sweet that you want to defend my album, you can't just attack everyone who doesn't like it. There are going to be people who don't like me or my music, that's just the nature of the industry we're in. We both knew that this is what we were getting into."

Santana let out a sigh, "Yeah, but it's just so frustrating. Your album is amazing, you're so talented. These idiots have no right to say it's not good, I'd like to see them try and do better…oh, I should say that."

Santana began to reach for her laptop again, but Dani shifted so she was in front of her girlfriend, blocking her from reaching the device. "As long as you like my album, that's all that matters," Dani reassured the other woman. "And we both know you're not the only one, it's been selling really well - better than I could have ever hoped. So I don't care that some people don't like it, I can't please everyone."

Santana huffed but wrapped her arms around her girlfriend. "Fine, I'll stop trying to convince the idiots how wrong they are."

"Thank you," Dani said as she placed a kiss on Santana's lips. They traded a couple of slow, tender kisses before the blonde eventually got off the bed to change out of her work clothes. She noticed Santana grabbing her laptop and gave her a look.

"I'm just going to look at the nice comments," Santana promised, "There are more of those anyway and I like seeing how proud everyone is of my amazing, talented, sexy girlfriend."

Dani smirked and gave Santana another kiss, "Fine, as long as you only look at the nice ones."

Santana nodded and Dani went into their ensuite bathroom. After washing her face and changing into comfier clothes, she stepped back in the bedroom and noticed Santana was furiously typing once again, scowl firmly in place.

"I thought you weren't going to reply to any more of the negative comments," Dani chided as she made her way back to their bed.

"I'm not," Santana replied as she fixed her screen with an intense glare.

"Then what are you doing?" Dani asked, trying to point out that she could tell her girlfriend was clearly riled up once again.

Santana stopped typing only when Dani reached her side and began stroking through her hair as she waited for an answer. "I was only looking at the positive feedback like I promised," she explained, "But apparently, some of your 'fans' think that just because you're hot and your voice is incredible, they can tweet about the things they want to do to you!" She huffed and glared even harder at the screen, "Like this asshole who wants to know if you'd 'still have that sexy rasp to your voice while he's making you come with his big dick'." Santana practically snarled the words and went back to furiously typing.

Dani frowned at the comment before shaking herself from the very unwanted visual and pulling the laptop away from Santana once more. "Okay, I agree that's gross and I'm sure it's upsetting to see people talk that way about me…but we can't control every single comment that's made about us. We just have to accept that there's a lot of stuff being said that we're not gonna want to hear - and we should probably just stay away from reading comments altogether."

"Fine," Santana growled, "Just as soon as I finish telling this guy where exactly he can shove his tiny, microscopic penis." She reached for her laptop, but Dani was faster and quickly shut it before placing it on top of the dresser.

"Babe," Santana whined, shooting her girlfriend an irritated look, "I promise I won't read anymore, just let me respond to that one."

"I'll give you a choice," Dani said as she crawled on the bed until she was straddling her girlfriend's lap, "You can have your laptop back so you can reply to that stupid little comment," she said as she ran a hand through her girlfriend's hair, "Or you can show me why you're the only person who gets to make me come…" she leaned in and kissed along Santana's neck, "Do I have that sexy rasp when I come for you, baby?"

"Yes," Santana growled as her hands possessively gripped Dani's waist.

"Only you get to hear that," Dani promised nipping gently over Santana's pulse point, "No one else makes me come like you do."

"I'm the only one who gets to fuck you," Santana said as she slipped her hands under the shorts Dani was wearing so she could grab her ass.

Dani smirked and pulled back enough to see the lustful look on her girlfriend's face, "So, do you want to reply to that comment? Or do you want to make me come in the way that only you can?"

Santana flipped their position so that she was looming over her girlfriend, regarding the blonde with a hungry gaze. Dani smirked, knowing that Twitter was the farthest thing from her mind. After three years together, Dani had definitely learned how to put her girlfriend's passionate side to good use. She wrapped her arms around Santana's neck and pulled her in for a deep kiss.

* * *

A/N: Hello to whoever is still out there reading Dantana fanfics! I know the fandom has dwindled over the years, but I've decided to still publish the oneshots I've written. I'm very excited about Demi's comeback and I'm hoping it might bring some people back to the fandom to reminisce about how amazing Dani was on Glee (as brief as her time on the show was). I already have a few oneshots written and I'll add them periodically. I'm also working on new ones when I can. If you have any suggestions, feel free to PM me, but I will say that I tend to only write things I get inspired by and can visualize in my head, so I may not write every request I get (if I get any), but I will do my best to do something with it!

Please leave a review to me know what you think! This collection will be rated 'M', not all of the oneshots will be mature content, but some definitely will!

A huge thank you to my amazing girlfriend for reviewing and editing this (and for giving me a title and description lol). I encourage everyone to go read the first chapter of her fantastic new Dantana fic, Kaleidoscope by Deluce.


	2. Breaking Her Rule

Santana Lopez did not approach women first.

It was a rule she had followed ever since she moved to New York to live with the Wonder Twins. When she'd been living in conservative places like Lima and Louisville, she settled for whatever girls were willing to experiment. However, New York City was teeming with options. After her first couple of trips to popular lesbian bars, Santana quickly realized she didn't have to be the pursuer anymore. Women were practically lining up for a chance to buy her a drink.

In fact, it even became a fun game on her nights out - to see how many women approached her or tried to make a move. Some nights she went out for the sole purpose of beating her previous record. Other nights, she was focused on finding a suitable hook-up to go home with when she needed a release rather than just playing games.

Refusing to make the first move hadn't ever kept her from getting what she wanted. Even on the rare occasions she was interested in a shy girl across the room, Santana had her own tricks to get the introverted girl to summon up enough courage to walk over to her. And that was always her favorite part, watching as the woman she set her sights on for that night finally made her way across the crowded venue to come and talk to her; the hopeful and/or nervous look on the woman's face as she approached Santana and finally made the first move.

No, her rule had never posed the slightest problem - until now.

Rachel, Kurt, and Santana had decided to hit up one of the hottest Halloween parties at a gay club not too far from their Brooklyn loft. The night was going well up until Santana laid eyes on a gorgeous blonde dressed as a sexy cop in a ridiculously short dress. Santana had been drawn to her at first sight, instantly dismissing any other woman she'd previously considered potential hookup options for the night.

It hadn't taken long for the hot cop to notice her as well, she gave Santana a once over while an impressed smirk playing at her lips. Santana knew she looked flawless in her sexy little red riding hood costume, which she'd chosen because red was her signature color and the short dress and thigh high stockings really drew attention to her legs. However, despite the frequent flirty glances exchanged throughout the evening, the blonde hadn't made any attempt to make her way over and Santana was getting frustrated.

"What the hell is wrong with people at this party?" Santana growled as she stormed over to Kurt and Rachel who, for some bizarre reason Santana couldn't figure out, had chosen a couples costume, with Kurt dressed as a 1920's gangster and Rachel as a flapper.

"Did someone spill their drink on you again?" Kurt asked in a bored tone, not at all surprised by Santana's bitter attitude.

"No," she snapped as she crossed her arms, barely resisting the urge to pout and stomp her foot like a child throwing a tantrum, "I look fucking hot, but apparently the women here are too stupid to realize that."

"You haven't been hit on yet?" Rachel asked, "That's a first."

"Are you serious - look at me," Santana protested as she waved a hand over her body, "I'm the hottest piece of ass here, of course I've been hit on! I've been trying to avoid eye contact even more than usual just to try and slow down the number of women who've been coming over to try and pick me up."

"So what's the problem then?" Kurt asked.

"The problem, Lady Lips, is that the sexy blonde cop over there has been eyefucking me all night, but refuses to come over and talk to me!" Santana explained with a dramatic huff.

Rachel and Kurt both glanced behind her to try and find the source of her frustration and Santana hoped the hot blonde wasn't looking her way right at that moment.

"Maybe she's not gay," Rachel suggested with a shrug, "After all, I'm straight but I'm here as an ally to show my support for the two of you."

"You're here because you have no other friends to spend Halloween with, so you had no choice but to come to the party with us," Santana shot back, "And anyways, you're wrong. I just told you she's been eyefucking me for, like, two hours."

"Well, she could have a girlfriend," Kurt suggested, "She's dancing with someone dressed as a witch."

Santana glanced over her shoulder and rolled her eyes at the pathetic woman trying hard to impress the blonde. A moment later, the hot cop glanced her way and sent Santana another flirtatious smile, which made her heart start racing - it had been doing that all night and it was an unusual, but not totally unwelcome, reaction to something as insignificant as a smile.

She turned her attention back to Rachel and Kurt, "She doesn't have a girlfriend," Santana said decisively, "She's been dancing with different women all night. She's been approached by horny lezzies almost as much as I have; probably because we're the two hottest women here."

Rachel let out an offended gasp, which Santana ignored because she didn't think her statement needed to be amended to spare the petite diva's feelings.

"Maybe you're not her type," Kurt replied, "Or she thinks you two are in some sort of weird competition for who can get the most attention. She could prefer more butch women."

Santana growled at the thought, "No, I'm everyone's type," she shot back, "Lesbians break up with their girlfriends just to hit on me at bars."

"Someone's a little full of herself," Rachel muttered with a roll of her eyes, "You know, Santana, if it's really bothering you that much, you could always go over there and talk to her."

"You know I don't make the first move," Santana replied.

"Yes, we're aware of your ridiculous rule," Kurt said with a sigh, "But you know that's just your own stubbornness stopping you. There's nothing wrong with being the one to go over and talk to her."

"Um, except then it looks like I'm more into her than she is into me…that kind of thing quickly establishes dominance in a relationship and I am not willing to look like the needy one."

"Relationship?" Kurt questioned with a raised eyebrow, "So this is more than just a one-night stand?"

Santana became flustered when she realized what she'd just said, "No, it's just an expression," she defended herself, realizing that neither Rachel or Kurt seemed to believe her. "Stop giving me that look, clearly nothing is going to happen because she's too much of a coward to talk to me."

"Or maybe she just has the same crazy rule that you do, and you two are actually perfect for each other." Rachel pointed out.

Santana hadn't considered that, but it was possible. After all, the blonde had been hit on all night, she probably didn't ever need to be the first to approach women.

"Why don't you go over there and talk to her?" Kurt suggested.

Santana shook her head firmly, "No way, she's going to have to be the one to get over herself and come talk to me. I have no interest in hooking up with someone who doesn't think I'm worth the extra effort."

Kurt exchanged a look with Rachel before he returned his attention to Santana and let out a deep sigh, "Fine, Santana, then keep ogling the sexy cop from afar and continue to pout and be miserable all night since you're apparently both too stubborn to make a move."

Santana spun on her heel and walked away, frustrated that her friends didn't get it. She couldn't just walk over there and talk to the blonde. For starters, the woman was dancing with someone else, she was also absolutely gorgeous, and from the way she was dancing, clearly she knew how to work her body. She wasn't just some easy lay Santana found in a bar - and that scared her.

Santana continued to bide her time chatting with the women who did approach her just long enough to not feel guilty about consuming the free drinks they offered her. She danced when she felt like dancing, though her gaze continued to find the blonde in the crowd. It was obvious the hot cop wasn't into any of the women approaching her either from how often she glanced over at Santana.

The chemistry and attraction were obvious - there was no doubt in Santana's mind that the cop was into her. Yet, neither woman made an attempt to make their way over to the other. Instead, their prolonged game of trying to get the other's attention by amping up their sex appeal only served to heighten Santana's arousal and frustration.

"We're gonna head back to the loft," Kurt said as he appeared beside Santana, with a tired and tipsy Rachel leaning heavily against him. "Are you ready to give up on your hot cop yet?"

Santana glanced over to where the blonde was dancing with a woman in a sexy nurse costume. The cop's hands ran through her own hair, making Santana's mouth water at the alluring sight. The blonde looked her way and sent her a wink. She turned back to her roommates, "I'm gonna stay, I think she's about to cave," she announced.

"Isn't that what you've been telling yourself for the last three hours?" Kurt questioned.

"Have fun at home, Gayberry," Santana called out as she began walking away from her roommates.

Santana continued to dance and chat with the various women who were not afraid to approach her; however, her interest was never swayed from the cop. She started to get a bit nervous when she saw the same woman dressed as a witch who had already approached the cop twice before make her way back over to the blonde. Santana watched as the two chatted for a moment, the witch clearly trying to be seductive while the blonde seemed hesitant. The cop sent a glance in her direction, catching her gaze while she appeared to be contemplating something.

Santana realized the pushy little witch was probably trying to talk the cop into leaving with her. The thought of the blonde going home with someone who wasn't her finally startled Santana to her senses. There was no way she was going to let some other skank steal the sexy cop from her. Santana quickly finished her drink before she set it down on the nearest surface and began making her way towards the cop.

As she got closer, she became aware of her nerves for the first time that night. She thought she was detecting serious vibes between her and the blonde, but what if she was wrong? Maybe the witch was the cop's girlfriend like Kurt suggested. She brushed the thoughts aside, knowing it was too late to turn back now - she'd already set her mind on making the first move.

The blonde had her back to Santana and didn't seem to notice her approaching, which eased her nerves a little - she wasn't sure she could have kept her cool with those gorgeous brown eyes watching her every move. As she approached the two women, she could overhear what the witch was saying to the cop.

"So, like I was saying earlier, my apartment's only 15 minutes from here…we could take a cab or an uber, or just walk. Whatever you prefer."

Santana rolled her eyes at the desperate witch who was clearly oblivious to the blonde's lack of genuine interest. She decided to put everyone out of their misery as she stepped up to the two women, making her presence known.

"Hi," she said with a flirtatious smile as she focused her full attention on the cop. She realized that the blonde was even more attractive up close, which only reassured Santana that she had made the right call by making the first move.

The cop glanced over and seemed surprised before a bright smile spread across her face, "Hey," she replied as she shifted slightly to get a better look at Santana.

She could tell the cop had a sexy voice even from that one word. The two held one another's gaze until the sound of a throat being cleared interrupted the moment.

"Hi, um, we were actually about to head out," the woman dressed as a witch interrupted.

Santana briefly spared a glance over at the other woman and noticed that the witch had taken a step closer to the blonde as if trying to assert her claim. She didn't feel threatened in the least and instead returned her gaze to the blonde, who was still focused only on her. Santana smirked and held out her hand, "Do you want to dance?"

The sexy cop nodded and let Santana lead the way, both women ignoring the scowling witch they left behind. As soon as they reached the dance floor, the blonde turned her back to Santana and began to grind against her. She was more than happy to be behind the blonde - her choice of costume had proven a bit hazardous for being the one dancing in front and she'd been nearly strangled by her cape more than once tonight.

"About time you made a move," the blonde said as she pressed her ass even harder into Santana, and the taller girl responded by tightly gripping the cop's hips.

Santana couldn't find it in her to be the least bit frustrated about the comment - the way the cop was dancing with her only made her very, very happy that she'd decided to break her rule. "You could have always come over to say hi, I promise I don't bite."

The blonde chuckled at that, "I figured a girl as gorgeous as you had a girlfriend."

Santana didn't entirely buy the excuse, it was obvious she was single from the way she'd been dancing with various women and making eyes at the blonde all night. She wasn't necessarily upset about being the one to cave and approach the other woman first, but a real explanation would be nice. "Then clearly you didn't notice the way I was looking at you all night."

The blonde turned in her arms and Santana could see the flattered smile on her face slip just a bit, "It's a little hard to believe you're interested in me," the blonde admitted as she wrapped her arms around Santana's neck to keep dancing, "You could have anyone in this club."

Santana was stunned by the explanation - she hadn't considered that the other woman was simply just nervous. Santana had been told many times throughout her life that she was overly confident, so it wasn't surprising that she had never once doubted that the sexy blonde was attracted to her. Clearly, her confidence level wasn't universal.

"That's probably true," she replied with a smug smile, "Which is why I have my sights set on the hottest woman here." She tightened her hold on the blonde's waist and maintained eye contact, just so there was no uncertainty about who she was referring to.

The blonde blushed, but a wide smile spread across her face. "You have your sights set on yourself then?"

Santana let out a fake exasperated groan, "Oh come on, I've been waiting to talk to you all night, don't get corny on me." She teased before fixing the other woman with a small smile, "But seriously, you're absolutely gorgeous - and I know you're aware of it. Women have been throwing themselves at you all night."

The blonde still seemed a bit flushed as she gave a coy smile, "Not the one I wanted."

"If you're not referring to me, I'm about to be seriously jealous of some other bitch in this club," Santana joked, getting a chuckle from the blonde. She realized the other woman had a really great laugh.

"Don't worry, I'm definitely talking about you," the cop confirmed before fixing her with a curious expression, "You got a name, little red riding hood?"

"Santana," she replied, glad that they were finally getting introductions out of the way, "What about you, sexy cop?"

The blonde laughed at that, "Dani," she replied with a warm smile.

Santana was glad to finally have a name to work with and as much fun as she was having simply talking with the blonde, it was getting harder and harder to ignore the sexual tension that had been building over the last several hours. She'd been worked up before even going over to talk to Dani, and she was fairly certain the blonde felt the same way.

"So Officer Dani," she said with a playful smirk, "Does the costume come with handcuffs or is it a missed opportunity?"

The blonde's eyes flashed with lust, easing Santana's concern that she was coming on too strong. "Well, the costume came with these crappy plastic handcuffs," Dani explained as she took Santana's hand and led it to where the prop cuffs were dangling from her belt, "But fortunately, I have much nicer ones at home."

Santana had initially been teasing about the handcuffs as it was the perfect opportunity to flirt with the blonde. However, after that response, it was hard to think of anything but letting the sexy cop cuff her.

"Is there a reason I need to use my handcuffs?" Dani questioned in a flirtatious and authoritative voice that made Santana's knees weak.

She smirked and leaned closer so her mouth was by Dani's ear, "I have a feeling I'm going to be a pretty bad girl tonight."

She heard a low moan escape from Dani before the blonde pulled back to meet her gaze, "I think I've had about enough of this club, care to go back to my place?"

Santana grinned, "I'd love to."

Dani took her hand and began leading her out of the club. Santana was so focused on the sexy blonde in front of her, she almost missed the death glare she was getting from the witch from before. However, she couldn't resist the urge to glance over and shoot her a smug smirk as she was eagerly led from the club.

As they stumbled out into the chilly night and headed in the direction of Dani's apartment hand in hand, Santana thought that maybe breaking her rule this one time really wasn't so bad.

* * *

A/N: Here's the next one shot. Hope people are enjoying these so far! Feel free to comment or PM me if you have ideas for one shots you'd like to see. I can't promise you they'll get written, but I'll do my best to do something with it!


	3. Secret Admirer

Santana stood in front of her locker, fixing her appearance in the small magnetic mirror affixed to the metal door, when a flash of bright pink caught her attention. She shifted her gaze and watched the startlingly bright color travel down the hall towards her until it stopped at the locker beside her own.

"Someone's in the mood for Valentine's Day," Santana quipped as the girl beside her began to enter her locker combination.

"What?" Dani asked, glancing over at Santana before seeming to catch on, "Oh, the hair."

"Yeah, the hair," Santana replied, "I know it's not a coincidence you happened to dye your hair bright pink the day before the holiday that's all about pink and red everything. So what's up, you have a hot date?"

Dani shrugged before opening her locker, "I wanted to do something different and thought it would be a fun color to try."

"Not buying it," Santana said as she finished getting her books for class and closed her locker to lean against it. "Please don't tell me that Dani Harper has a date for Valentine's Day and I don't."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Dani asked, her tone sounded somewhat offended, but mostly confused.

"Just that word around school is you turned down, like, five different guys since you moved here this year. You're even pickier than Quinn," Santana explained.

"Damn, I didn't realize my love life was such hot gossip at this school," Dani said as she glanced over at the girl beside her.

"It's not; your _lack_ of a love life is gossip, and it's mediocre at best," Santana teased, "But take it from me, people at this school get bored quickly and move on." She remembered how the school had talked about her after she was forced to come out at the beginning of the year, but everyone had moved on a week later when something new caught their attention. She'd been the focus of school gossip once again in late November when she and Brittany had broken up, but fortunately, the school only cared for about three days before moving on to more interesting topics.

"I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint the school once again with my boring social life. I don't have a date for tomorrow. What about you?" Dani asked as she shut her locker and turned to face the dark-haired cheerleader.

Santana realized this was the first time she and Dani had continued on a conversation past the time it took them to get their books and shut their lockers. They were acquaintances at best, and their previous interactions, while typically friendly, only took place due to the fact that new girl Dani Harper had been assigned the locker next to hers. They were both seniors, but had no classes together, no shared clubs or activities, and were in very different social groups. Santana was fairly certain this was the longest conversation they'd ever had.

"Seeing as there is a shocking lack of lesbian or bi girls in Lima, that's a definite no," Santana replied.

"So you and Brittany are definitely over?" Dani asked, seeming equal parts curious and sympathetic.

"Wow, you really don't hear the gossip around school," Santana joked before shaking her head, "We broke up a few months ago, and yeah we were still kinda off and on for a little bit after, but it's over. She's dating Rory now, which is fine, I guess. He's cool for an overgrown leprechaun."

Dani laughed, but before she could reply the bell signaling the start of the next period rang through the halls. "See you around," Dani said with a little wave.

Santana watched the girl turn and walk away and noticed the newly dyed pink hair attracted quite a bit of attention from others in the hall. She considered it for a moment before coming to the conclusion the girl was pulling off the bright color and actually looked good. Realizing she was still watching Dani walk away, Santana shook her head before turning and heading to class.

The Next Morning

Santana sighed as she approached her locker. There seemed to be five times as many couples engaged in PDA as usual and it was bringing down her mood even more than usual. This was the first Valentine's Day she'd spent without someone to make out with or to buy her things. She didn't think it would bother her as much as it was, but then again, all the couples sucking face seemed to really be rubbing in the fact that she was single.

She opened her locker to put her backpack inside when she noticed something bright and colorful sitting on top of her math book. Her brow furrowed in confusion as she grabbed the folded paper. Santana quickly realized it was one of those small, cheap Valentine's Day cards that everyone passed around to their classmates in elementary school. She opened it up to see a picture of a strawberry with the words 'I like you berry much' scrawled across. However, the card was blank with no other message or even a name to indicate who it was from.

Santana frowned as she turned the card over to look for a name, but didn't see anything. She glanced around the hall, but no one was paying her the slightest bit of attention. With a dismissive shrug, Santana tossed the card back into her locker and finished putting away her things before homeroom.

Homeroom was even more insufferable than usual because it was filled with girls gushing over their boyfriends and showing off the cheap gifts they received that morning. Once again, Santana longed for the days she used to buy herself something nice and make whatever horny guy was lusting after her pay her back for it.

When the bell rang, Santana quickly escaped her homeroom class and made her way over to her locker to grab her books for first period. She almost missed the new card lying in her locker, thinking it was the same one as before, until she noticed this one was different. Santana picked up the small folded paper and opened it, the inscription read 'You're outta this world' printed over an outer space background. Once again, there was no other message or name printed on the card.

Santana grabbed the two cards in addition to the books she needed for first period. When she arrived in history class, she slid into her usual seat beside Brittany.

"Good morning, San. Happy Valentine's Day!" Brittany greeted cheerily.

"Happy Valentine's Day," Santana returned the greeting with a smile, glad they had remained friends after the break up. "Hey Britt, are these from you?" She asked as she showed the blonde the cards. Out of all of her friends, Brittany was the one who seemed most likely to give out Valentine's cards intended for elementary school children.

Brittany glanced over at the cards, "Oh those are so cute! Who are they from?"

"Uh, I don't know, that's why I asked if they were from you," Santana replied, taking Brittany's response as an indication they were not from the blonde.

"No, they're not from me," Brittany confirmed, "Ooh do you have a secret admirer?"

Santana rolled her eyes, "Doubtful. Probably just Becky or someone giving them out to the Cheerios. They don't have a name or message or anything."

Brittany nodded, but didn't seem convinced as she continued to give Santana an excited smile, which Santana tried to ignore by focusing on what their teacher was writing on the board.

After history class, Santana hesitantly returned to her locker. She wasn't sure what she was going to find - and she wasn't entirely sure if she would be more upset to see another mysterious card or to not find one.

"Hey," she greeted Dani distractedly as she approached her locker and began to enter the combination.

"Hi," Dani replied as she continued to sort through her books.

Santana opened her locker and her gaze immediately focused on the card folded up on the bottom of her locker. She picked up the card and opened it, this one had a picture of a conversation heart with the phrase 'U R 2 CUTE'. Again, the card lacked any indication of who had slipped it into her locker. She wondered how someone had managed to stop by her locker three times without her noticing.

"Hey Dani?" Santana said as she glanced over at the pink-haired girl.

"Yeah?"

"Have you seen anyone by my locker?" Santana asked, hoping the girl had caught sight of whoever had just dropped this off.

"No, why?" Dani responded, shooting a quick glance over before continuing to dig around in her locker.

Santana debated telling Dani about the cards, but they weren't really friends, so she didn't want to drag Dani into this when she probably had better things to do. "It's nothing," she responded as she switched out her books and closed her locker. "See you later," she said as she left to get to her next class.

Santana found herself trying to get to her locker as quickly as possible after the next several classes, hoping to catch whoever was delivering the cards in the act. However, every time she reached her locker, there was no one in sight, but a small Valentine's Day card was waiting for her in her locker.

By the time the lunch hour rolled around, Santana was no closer to figuring out who was slipping the mysterious cards into her locker. She found herself consumed with figuring out who was behind the odd behavior and decided to try and get some answers, or at least some help, from her friends.

"Hey, has anyone else gotten one of these?" Santana asked as she sat down at the lunch table with the other glee club kids.

"Yeah, in like third grade," Quinn replied with a smirk.

Santana rolled her eyes at the unhelpful comment, "Thanks smart ass, I meant has anyone else been getting these today?"

"No, why? Who is it from?" Rachel asked, seeming miffed that she hadn't gotten a card as she tried to lean in for a closer look.

"I don't know," Santana replied, "That's what I'm trying to figure out."

"I still think it's a secret admirer," Brittany said with a grin.

That got the attention of some more people at the table as they stopped side conversations to turn their focus to Santana, "Wait, you have a secret admirer?" Mercedes asked.

Santana rolled her eyes, "I have no idea, it's probably just some idiot jock trying to be funny."

"How many have you gotten?" Rachel asked, still seeming slightly jealous despite the fact she had a boyfriend.

"Uhh," Santana paused as she tried to count how many she'd received, "Like six, I think?"

"Sounds like someone's putting in some real effort, I think you definitely have a secret admirer," Mercedes said with a smirk.

"Oh please, they bought a cheap pack of cards from the store and couldn't even be bothered to write a message or even their name. That took no effort, so no thanks, I'm definitely not interested in someone too lazy to write their own name." Santana responded with a huff.

"There's not even a message or clue or anything?" Quinn asked in disbelief before holding her hand out for a card, "Let me see."

Santana chuckled at Quinn's incredulity and handed her one of the cards, not missing the way Rachel looked on as if jealous she hadn't gotten a closer look, but knowing Santana would never give her one if she asked.

Quinn studied the card for a moment before she spoke up, "No wait, look, there's a letter written on this one."

Santana leaned in to see a small letter 'N' written in red ink that nearly blended into the card it was written on.

"And there's a number on the other side," Tina pointed out, having apparently been examining the card from the other side of the table from where Quinn was.

"Give me that," Santana said as she took the card back to check the other side. Sure enough, there was a small number 7 that practically blended in to the background of the card. She pulled out the others from where she'd stashed them in a notebook and began examining them. The girls at the table all crowded around, clearly more invested in this mystery than the boys.

Sure enough, Santana managed to identify a small hidden letter on one side of every card and a tiny number on the other side. But she had no idea what it meant.

"Are they numbered in order of when you got them?" Rachel asked, "Maybe they spell out a message?"

"No," Quinn dismissed the idea, "This one has a 9 and there's only 6 cards, so they're not numbered in order."

"It could be a secret numerical code you have to crack," Tina suggested. Like maybe all the numbers correspond to a letter of the alphabet."

"But why would there be letters too?" Mercedes questioned.

"Maybe the numbers are coded letters and the letters are coded numbers," Brittany offered.

Santana shook her head in confusion, "That doesn't make sense."

"Why don't you see if the letters you have spell anything," Quinn said as she took out a black pen and began going over all the letters on the card to make them easier to see.

"Well that's rude, you should ask before marking other people's stuff," Santana reprimanded her friend, although she had to admit it was a lot easier to see the letters to try and figure out if there was a message.

All the girls crowded around to look at the letters and try to unscramble it.

"Ian Had?" Tina said as she sorted out a possible configuration, "Do we know an Ian?"

"I don't," Santana said with a shrug, hoping that it wasn't some underclassman named Ian who was sending her some weird message.

"I think it says 'A Handi'," Brittany said as she looked at the letters.

"It better fucking not," Santana shot back, "Because my answer to that would be hell no, I don't go anywhere near dicks anymore."

"It could be someone named Han," Rachel suggested, "I don't know where the D, A, and I come in, but maybe the message isn't finished."

"Well I sure as hell don't know a Han either," Santana said with a frown. Just then, the bell rang, signaling the end of the lunch period. "Well, you all are officially useless." Santana said with a huff as she gathered her cards and shoved them back into her notebook. When she returned to her locker, she noticed yet another card. She shoved it with the others and hurried off to her next class.

Unfortunately, Santana's final two classes of the day were unusually busy and she didn't have time to continue to puzzle over the additional cards she had gotten. She had nine cards by the time she arrived in glee club and her friends immediately crowded around to look at the new cards to continue to try and solve the mystery.

Mr. Schuester eventually broke the group up, insisting they needed to continue practicing for their upcoming Sectionals performance. Santana found it harder to focus than usual as she was still no closer to figuring out who had been leaving the cards for her. She had hoped that after her last class of the day there would have been a more prominent hint or clue as to who her mysterious admirer was. But there had been nothing other than a card just like all the others.

When glee club finally let out for the day, Santana returned to her locker and found yet another card waiting for her. This one had a picture of a bumblebee with the phrase 'Bee Mine' but, like all the others, only had a hidden letter and number and nothing else. Santana was surprised that she'd received another one - clearly this person knew her schedule well enough to know she had an after school activity before she went home for the day. She hoped this was the last one for the day as she desperately wanted to get home and take the time to try to sort out the puzzle and she would not be pleased if she didn't have all the cards and clues to work with.

As soon as Santana got home, she immediately went to her room and spread the cards out on her bed. She outlined the rest of the letters in black pen so she could easily see them all laid out before her. She puzzled over various combinations, some spelling out certain names, but not ones that meant anything to her - Aiden, Daphne, Dean, she didn't know anyone with those names; though she was one of the most popular girls in school, so it was entirely possible someone she'd never even met was crushing on her.

She flipped the cards over to try and make sense of the numbers, even though she doubted she would have any more luck. She counted the cards again, even though she knew there were ten. Santana realized that could be a phone number, though figuring out what number would be nearly impossible if she didn't know whose number it was.

With a sigh, she turned the cards back over. The only thing she hadn't tried yet was to put them in the order in which she'd gotten them. She could easily order the first three - the strawberry, the space one, and then the conversation heart. And she remembered the last two as they were the ones she'd received most recently. The others were all a jumble and she couldn't quite remember in which order she'd seen them. She flipped the first three over to see what the numbers were and gasped as she recognized the Lima area code - she was definitely on to something with it being a phone number.

Santana turned the cards back over with a renewed sense of motivation, she was so close to figuring it out. She had 'DAN' and the last two were 'ER'. She knew a couple Dan's at school, but much to her relief, their names didn't really fit with the remaining letters. She continued trying to piece together the remaining letters - trying various combinations of first and last names until her brain caught onto one combination 'HARP' and everything seemed to click into place.

Santana's eyes were wide as she moved the cards into place, staring at the name DANI HARPER spelled out on cheap Valentine's Day cards across her bed. She wondered if it was simply wishful thinking, but she figured the odds of these letters perfectly spelling out the name of more than one person at McKinley were slim to none.

Of course, there was always the possibility that this was all a prank and someone had put Dani's name on these cards just to fuck with her. After all, she always assumed Dani was straight since there had never been any evidence to the contrary - although that could explain why she had turned down all of the boys who'd asked her out this year.

Santana turned the cards over, seeing the numbers that she assumed made up Dani's phone number. She figured she had nothing to lose by trying to contact the number, it would either turn out to be Dani or it would turn out to be someone else, or a completely fake number that wasn't even in operation.

Santana debated whether to call or text the number before ultimately deciding to call with the reasoning that if someone was playing a prank, they wouldn't be able to fake Dani's voice. The girl had an unmistakable voice, as well as an absolutely amazing laugh. Santana typed in the number and hit the call button as she idly wondered how long she'd had a thing for Dani's voice and laugh without realizing it.

She didn't realize how fast her heart was racing until the call was answered with a simple 'Hello?' in that unmistakable voice and Santana felt the nerves set it.

"Hey, Dani?" She asked, not really needing the confirmation but not knowing what else to say.

A chuckle came across the line and Santana realized she _really _had a thing for Dani's laugh, "I take it you figured out the secret message?"

Santana couldn't help the small smile that began to spread across her face, "Well, it wasn't much of a message. It was just your name."

"And my phone number," Dani pointed out, "It was clearly clever enough to have you guessing all day."

Santana had to admit that Dani had a point. It might not have been the most complicated message to decode, but it had taken a good bit of time. It felt like a million different questions were racing through her mind, she had so many things she wanted to have answered, but she went with the first question that came to mind, "Why keep me guessing all day when you could have just told me with one card first thing this morning?"

"Well, if you'd turned me down, the rest of the day would have been really awkward seeing as our lockers are right next to each other," Dani joked.

"I could argue that it would still be awkward if I turn you down because we have those lockers for the rest of the year…not that I'm turning you down," she quickly added, not wanting Dani to misinterpret what she was saying.

"That's true, but if that's the case, I at least have the weekend to recover," Dani explained.

There was a brief pause as Santana continued to try and wrap her head around what was happening, "Wait, so…you like me?"

Dani let out another chuckle, "Yeah, I thought that was kind of obvious from the cards and the whole secret message thing."

Santana shook her head, "I mean, yeah I guess, but…I didn't even know you were into girls."

"Well, honestly, I didn't really know either until I moved to Lima and saw you by your locker every day. It took me a few months to realize why I was always so excited to go to my locker between classes…then I realized it was because I'd get to see you, and maybe even get a chance to talk to you."

Santana grinned at the response and felt her cheeks flush, "Wow, Dani and I thought some of the cards today were cheesy," she teased, before deciding to open up a little before she could embarrass the pink-haired girl too much. "That's really sweet though. I'm honestly still shocked that my gaydar was so ineffective. I just thought you were the hot straight girl with the locker next to mine."

"You think I'm hot?" Dani asked, the surprise evident in her voice.

"Obviously," Santana replied, "I mean, you know you're gorgeous - just look at all the people who've asked you out. But yeah, yesterday after we were talking at our lockers, I was watching you walk away and was thinking 'damn that girl's hot'."

Dani laughed at the explanation, "Well, I'm glad you think I'm good looking…so does that mean you're not gonna turn me down then?"

Santana couldn't help but smile at the way Dani's tone became hesitant and almost shy, "Well that depends, what exactly are you asking? I don't know what I'm being asked to accept…or turn down."

"Oh, well…" Dani began, and Santana could hear how nervous the girl was, "I was hoping you would go on a date with me tonight, you know, Valentine's Day and all. And we can see where things go from there."

"Oh will we? I'll have you know I don't put out on a first date, Harper," Santana replied, though she knew that was a lie and for someone as gorgeous as Dani, she would gladly put out whenever the girl wanted.

"No, that's not what I meant," Dani rushed to explain, "I just meant we'll see how things go in terms of maybe becoming, like, official?"

Santana grinned at how anxious Dani was to clarify what she had meant. She couldn't deny she was excited that the pink-haired girl seemed to want something more serious than just a casual date or hook up. "I'd like that," Santana responded, "So about this date tonight, where are you taking me and what time do I need to be ready."

"Well, word on the street is that you love Breadstix, so I made reservations for 7:30," Dani explained.

Santana couldn't help but grin at how much work Dani had clearly put in to setting this all up for her, "I do love Breadstix," Santana confirmed, but she hesitated, knowing the restaurant would be packed with kids from McKinley tonight, "But just so you know, there will be a lot of people from school there. And I know this whole liking girls thing is new for you, so if you would rather do something a little more private, at least until you're more sure about things, that's totally fine."

"Thank you for the concern," Dani replied, her tone emphasizing the sincerity of her words, "But trust me, I've taken time to process things and I am a hundred percent certain that I am very gay…and as far as people from school seeing us together, I don't mind if you don't."

"No, I definitely don't mind," Santana said with a smile, relieved that Dani wasn't interested in staying in the closet, "So am I just supposed to meet you there, or are you going to really make this a date and come pick me up?"

"I'd be happy to pick you up," Dani responded with a chuckle, "I just need your address."

"I'll text it to you," Santana replied as she glanced at the clock on her nightstand and realized it was nearly 6pm, "Shit, I have to start getting ready."

"Yeah, I should get ready too," Dani agreed, her voice no longer containing any trace of nerves, only excitement, "I'll see you soon."

"Yeah, see you soon," Santana confirmed, "Oh and Dani, thanks for the cards today, that was the sweetest thing anyone's ever done for me."

"I'm glad you liked it," Dani replied, "And I'm especially glad that you figured out the message in time."

"Me too," Santana laughed before glancing at the clock again, knowing it would take her time to look first date ready, "I really have to go if you want me to look first date ready."

"First date ready?" Dani questioned.

"Yeah, you know when you want to look extra fuckable so you can make sure your date's attention will only be on you," Santana said as if it was an obvious explanation.

Dani laughed, "Trust me, you do not have to worry about that. But, I thought you don't put out on the first date," she teased.

"That doesn't mean I don't want you to be thinking about it all night," Santana replied in a seductive tone.

"Fuck," Dani cursed quietly under her breath, clearly very affected by Santana's flirtatious comment, "Right, so, I'll just go get ready and see you soon."

"Bye, Dani," Santana replied with a grin before ending the call. She got ready in record time and was just about to put her phone in her clutch when she noticed all of the missed texts from her friends. She knew the girls were still trying to figure out who her secret admirer was and she had no time or desire to bother with texting them all and dealing with the collective freakout and disbelief that was sure to ensue. However, she didn't want them to find out via the school's rumor mill, which would undoubtedly happen if she didn't tell them before she left for dinner and just showed up at Breadstix with Dani.

Santana noticed the cards still scattered on her bed and got an idea. She quickly flipped them all over so the letters were displayed once more and she took a picture of them, with Dani's name clearly visible in the black ink she'd traced the hidden letters with. She took a picture and sent the photo to the group chat she had with her friends, before putting her phone on silent and going downstairs to wait for Dani. Santana knew her friends would begin calling and texting incessantly at any moment, but she wasn't going to deal with any of it. No, she was going to enjoy her date with Dani on what she was sure was going to be the best Valentine's Day ever.

* * *

A/N: Happy Valentine's Day everyone! Hope you enjoyed this oneshot.


	4. Puppy Love

The car pulled to a stop outside a drab, one-story brick building, the dark gray rain clouds taking over the sky made the place look even gloomier. Santana eyed their destination wearily before stepping outside of the car and standing on the sidewalk. She wondered, not for the first time that day, if this was a huge mistake and if they were better off getting back in the Uber and asking the driver to take them home.

Brittany stepped onto the sidewalk beside her girlfriend and eagerly took her hand, her excited grin contrasting sharply with Santana's nervous frown. "I can't believe we're actually doing this!" She exclaimed and squeezed Santana's hand.

"Me either," Santana replied, masking her nerves with a smile that didn't quite meet her eyes.

Brittany seemed to pick up on the lack of enthusiasm as she glanced over at Santana, "This is going to be really good for us," she reminded her.

Santana took a breath and nodded. They had agreed that this was the right step in their relationship. It was no secret they'd been drifting apart over the last few months due to their busy work schedules. They were both still trying to make it big in New York City, which meant saying yes to every opportunity that might advance their career, while still holding down day jobs to pay the bills.

Some weeks their schedules barely overlapped, leaving them with little time to spend as a couple. And on the days they did find themselves with a night off together, they very rarely agreed on what to do. Santana preferred going out to trendy restaurants or taking part in unique experiences and exhibits the city had to offer; Brittany, on the other hand, always wanted to go out to clubs so she could dance, and Santana found herself getting tired of the club scene.

The past few months had taken a toll on their relationship and it was obvious the pair were not as close as they once were. They'd both been wondering about the future of their relationship when Brittany had an idea - they needed to adopt something they could love that would bring them together as a family. Santana had been terrified of the suggestion until she realized Brittany was referring to an animal and not a baby.

So here they stood, on the sidewalk in front of an animal shelter that was just outside of the city. Santana couldn't tell if it was the dreary day or her lingering uncertainty over the idea that was causing her to feel so reluctant to take a step towards the glass double doors before them. She didn't have time to figure out the cause of her hesitancy as Brittany began eagerly leading her towards the entrance.

"Good morning," a cheerful woman behind the counter greeted the pair. Santana returned the greeting with a soft smile, finding that the brightly decorated interior of the lobby helped to ease her nerves the slightest bit. From the dull exterior of the building, she'd been worried the interior would have been just as cold and unwelcoming; however, it was clear that the people who worked here had put a lot of effort into making it a warm and loving place.

"Hi!" Brittany replied with a happy smile, "We're here to look for a new furry friend to join our family."

Santana fought the fear that the term 'family' brought as it made her think of kids and white picket fences and all of the things she was definitely not ready for at age 20.

"That's wonderful," the woman replied, the cheery smile never leaving her face, "Feel free to head on to the back, the cats are in the room to the right, the dogs are in the room to the left, and our small animals, which make just as excellent of pets, are in the room just over there. If there's an animal you'd like to interact with, we have rooms set up around the shelter, just ask one of the volunteers to help you out. There should be someone back with the dogs and I know Tanya is with the cats, and if you want to see any of the small animals, let me know, I'm Marsha."

Santana felt a bit overwhelmed at all the options and how the woman was so willing to let them just go browse and look at animals. She was half-expecting to be turned away at the door because she and Brittany were so young and, most of the time, only barely responsible enough to look after themselves, let alone an animal.

"So we just go pick one we like and take it home?" Santana asked, trying to keep the anxiety out of her voice.

Marsha smiled politely at the question, "Well, once you find an adoptable animal that you think would be a good fit for your family, you can put in an application and we'll review it and let you know in a few days."

"So we're not heading home with an animal today?" Santana clarified, feeling her fear begin to ebb.

"Not today," Marsha clarified, "But it will give you some time to get set up and buy everything you need before welcoming your new family member home!"

Brittany looked disappointed at the news they wouldn't be bringing home a pet today, but her frown disappeared as she took Santana's hand and began to lead her towards the back, "Come on, let's go have a look!"

Santana let her girlfriend lead her away, feeling more excited than nervous because she had time before making a huge life-altering decision like adopting a pet. She wasn't surprised when Brittany led her to the cat room first and they entered the room filled with sterile metal cages. However, like the lobby, the room was filled with light from windows at the back of the room and made as cheery as possible with bright walls painted with flowers. Several meows echoed through the room from some of the chattier cats and Santana immediately felt uncomfortable, having never been a huge fan of cats. Lord Tubbington had been her one exception, but only because he meant so much to Brittany.

"Aww, San look at all the kitties!" Brittany gushed as she hurried over to the rows of cages and started peering in at the various cats.

Santana smiled at her enthusiasm as she wandered over to a different section and looked in at some of the cats, reading the little information cards that went along with each pet. With every pet she passed, Santana quickly found a reason to remove the cat from consideration: too sick, too old, too angry-looking, too skinny, too loud. The list went on as she quickly eliminated each one until she ended up to where her girlfriend was still trying to get the attention of a large, fluffy cat stretched out on its bed.

"I don't think any of these are a good fit for us," Santana explained as she looked at the cat who was ignoring her girlfriend despite Brittany's best attempt to get it to interact with her; clearly the cat was a total narcissist and Santana was over dealing with those from her years in glee club.

"What?" Brittany said as she looked over in surprise, "We only just got here and there's tons of cats! I'm sure we'll find the perfect one."

Santana sighed as she looked around, but she just didn't feel a connection with any of them. Maybe it just wasn't the right species, after all, she'd never been a cat person. "Maybe we should go check out the dogs?"

"But I haven't had a chance to say hi to all the cats yet," Brittany protested with a pout.

Santana looked and realized that Brittany had still only passed by the cages of about four cats and she didn't want to wait for her to stop and try and play with every single one.

"Well, how about you come find me in the other room when you're done?" Santana offered, which earned a happy smile and nod of agreement from the other girl.

Santana returned the smile before turning to leave the room she paused in the small hallway and took a breath. The feeling that this was a bad decision hadn't let up even though her anxiety had eased ever since she was informed they'd be waiting several days to even be approved to adopt a pet. When Brittany had first brought up the idea, she'd been able to get Santana on board only because they both wanted to believe there was some easy solution to the growing distance between them. But Santana was beginning to wonder if this would only deepen the cracks in their relationship and push them further apart.

Santana pushed the thoughts from her mind, not wanting to consider such an upsetting possibility when they were supposed to be on a fun outing to adopt an adorable new friend to love and care for. She headed into the dog room, hoping that this room would bring that instant connection she was seeking.

As opposed to the previous room, this room had bigger cages and was buzzing with more activity. The animals seemed more lively as they barked to chat with each other or get attention. The cacophony of barks was a little overwhelming, but Santana found herself moving towards the cages to get a closer look. Eager faces peered up at her, some with tails wagging, others tucked back in corners and Santana found herself paying closer attention to the description cards, wondering what these poor creatures had been through to end up here. Yet, just like the last room, Santana found herself quickly dismissing each one as a potential new pet: too hyper, too big, too tiny, too high-strung, too shy, too old. She sighed as she finished the row, not having found any that she would consider adopting. A faint noise caught her attention as she slowly rounded the corner, the unmistakable sound of guitar chords calling her closer.

Santana peered cautiously around the corner, seeing a young woman seated on the floor at the end of the next row of cages with a guitar in her lap. Her fingers moved deftly over the guitar strings, blonde hair obscuring her face as she leaned over the instrument while she played to check her finger placement as she played various chords.

Without conscious thought, Santana found herself walking closer as if in a trance. The unusual hold only strengthened as the woman began to sing, her voice was soft, but the talent was clear as the melodic words reached Santana's ears.

As Santana passed a cage housing a husky mix, the dog began to bark excitedly to draw her attention. The sound startled both women, Santana glanced over at the dog before looking back at the woman with the amazing voice.

"Oh, hi," the blonde greeted with a look of surprise that quickly turned into a smile, "Sorry, I didn't realize there was anyone here."

Santana gave a dismissive shrug at the apology, "It's cool, I was just stopping by to look at the dogs." She debated leaving to give the other woman privacy, but her curiosity got the better of her. "Were you singing to that dog?"

The woman chuckled at the bluntly delivered question and nodded, "Yeah, um, I'm a volunteer here, and sometimes on slow days I bring my guitar and play for the dogs. It helps calm them."

Santana nodded, noticing it had been quieter when she had been playing, or perhaps Santana just hadn't noticed the noise because she'd been so focused on the woman's voice.

"So who's the lucky pup getting a concert today?" Santana joked as she moved closer, wondering which dog was enjoying a front row seat to the show; she figured it had to be an adorable little puppy.

Santana was surprised to see a small mutt in the cage, resting on a cot and looking sadly out of the cage. She didn't need to look at the information card to tell that this dog had clearly been a stray given it's odd, scraggly appearance that had clearly not been the result of careful breeding.

"This is Duchess," the blonde explained, "We found her on the streets; she was pregnant and really timid around humans. Fortunately, once we got her in here she began to trust us more and became such a friendly, loving girl."

Santana nodded as she moved closer, looking in at the dog who was still quiet and looked quite sad. "So what happened?" Santana asked, knowing she didn't have to explain that the dog before her wasn't friendly or loving at the moment.

"Well, she gave birth to her puppies, and fortunately, they were all healthy. She took great care of them while they were nursing and was an awesome mama," the woman replied, before pausing and letting out a sigh, "But, as you can imagine, the puppies were adopted super quickly."

"So she's sad because she lost her babies," Santana said as she looked at the forlorn pup with a new understanding for her state.

The woman nodded, "Well, that and we got her spayed a week ago so that she can be adopted, so she's still recovering."

Santana nodded as she crouched down by the cage to get a better look at the dog, "Poor girl," she mused before glancing behind her at the woman who she realized had been watching her. "I didn't mean to interrupt," she said as she glanced at the guitar still on her lap, "You can keep singing to her."

The woman smiled and shook her head as she put her guitar to the side, "Nah, it's okay. Duchess prefers meeting new people, you can introduce yourself if you want."

Santana couldn't help but wonder if that was a sly attempt at getting her name and she arched an eyebrow as a smirk played at her lips, "Oh, so Duchess wants my name, huh?" She teased, getting a chuckle and shrug from the blonde. Santana noticed the way that the subtle flirting made her heart race, but she tried to ignore it as she focused back on the dog eyeing her curiously, "Hi Duchess, I'm Santana," she greeted as she smiled at the pup and put her hand up to the cage. The small dog got up and slowly came over to sniff her hand and appraise the newcomer.

"Aww, I think she likes you," the blonde cooed.

Santana smiled at that, she had to admit the scruffy dog was kind of cute. However, she found herself more intrigued by the woman behind her, whose name she still didn't know. "See, now this isn't very fair, because I could ask Duchess who her friend is, but I don't think she'll answer," Santana joked as she glanced behind her shoulder with a smirk.

The blonde laughed and Santana was sure she'd never heard a more amazing sound. "I'm Dani," the woman introduced herself.

"Nice to meet you, Dani," Santana replied, letting her gaze briefly sweep over the other woman. She was beautiful, that much Santana had known right away; however, with the name, the combat boots, and the perfect winged eyeliner, she couldn't help but wonder if she was a lesbian.

Dani returned her smile before glancing back at Duchess, who was still appraising the pair, "So, what do you think of our little Duchess here? Think she may be for you, or did you have another dog in mind?"

Santana glanced back at the mutt, realizing she was still supposed to be looking for a future pet for her and Brittany to care for. "Oh, uhm…I don't know." She answered honestly as she tried to consider Duchess running around her studio apartment, the image just felt wrong for some reason.

"Okay," Dani said with a small nod, "Well, not to sound too cocky, but I am pretty amazing at setting people up with the perfect match," she teased with a playful smile.

Santana chuckled, wondering if Dani was flirting with her, or if she was just reading into the comment too much.

"So we'll start with the easy question - are you set on a dog? Or are you considering any of the other animals here?"

"I'm not really a rodent or rabbit person," Santana explained, eliminating the small animals from consideration, "And I know cats are less work than dogs, but I've always been more of a dog person."

Dani nodded, "Dogs are a lot of work," she agreed, "Is it just you, or are there other people who would be helping to look after your new pet?"

Santana briefly wondered whether to be honest about her relationship status or to hide it in order to carry on a little more harmless flirting with the attractive volunteer. She didn't entertain the idea for long since she knew Brittany would excitedly bound into the room at any moment to show Santana some cute cat she wanted to adopt.

"I'm actually here with my girlfriend," she explained, surprised at the almost apologetic tone to her words.

"Oh," Dani replied, her expression hard to read as she gave a nod of understanding before glancing around, as if looking for someone.

"She's over looking at the cats," Santana explained, figuring Dani was trying to figure out why her girlfriend wasn't with her. She was still trying to gauge Dani's reaction to see if she was disappointed at the news Santana wasn't single, or perhaps her gaydar had been off and the other woman was really homophobic. However, Dani remained incredibly hard to read as she just gave another small nod and returned her gaze to Santana.

"But you're not really a cat person?" Dani asked, referring back to Santana's earlier comment about being a dog person.

Santana shrugged, "I don't know, cats can be cool," she replied, "But they can also be sneaky and self-centered and irritable…and there's already enough of that around the apartment with me living there," she joked, "I don't need the competition from a furry diva."

Dani laughed and it eased Santana's concern that the blonde had changed her attitude towards her after finding out she had a girlfriend; she still seemed laid back and in just as good a mood.

"I hate to break it to you, some of these dogs can be total divas too," Dani teased good-naturedly, causing Santana to smile.

"Well, fortunately I have you to steer me in the right direction," Santana replied, "So what do you say? Want to help me find my perfect match?"

Dani quirked an eyebrow but soon masked her expression with a friendly smile as she stood up and brushed her jeans off. "It would help if I had some more information to work with," Dani began, "Do you know what size of dog you want?"

Santana shrugged as she began walking with Dani along the row of cages.

Dani chuckled softly at Santana's seeming indifference, "What about age? Or energy level?"

Santana gave another shrug, "I don't know, just like a normal dog."

"That's super helpful," Dani teased with a laugh, "I'll be sure to keep you away from all the alien dogs."

"You know what I mean," Santana replied with a playful eye roll, "Just like a cute dog that's young enough to be playful," she explained as she looked past the nearest cage, "Not one like that."

"Aww" Dani cooed as she crouched down to try and summon the old, scruffy dog Santana had just pointed to, "Poor Quincy, he's still got tons of energy and love to give."

"Okay, but his name is Quincy and he looks dead," Santana replied as she glanced the unmoving dog on the bed in the corner.

"He's not dead," Dani scoffed as she looked at dog, "He's just hard of hearing…and blind in one eye," she explained before calling the dog's name a little louder to no response. The blonde stood up and frowned before getting her keys to open the cage door, the squeak of the metal startled the older dog awake and he sat up alert and looking in surprise at the two girls. "See, he's not dead."

"Yeah, but you weren't sure, so you had to check, didn't you?" Santana asked with a smirk.

"No, I just wanted to say hi," Dani said as she reached down to pet the older dog, before glancing over her shoulder with a smile.

Santana knew she was right and merely returned Dani's smile before shaking her head, "I'm glad he's alive, but I'm still not taking him. He's gonna croak any day; no offense, Quincy," she addressed the second half of her comment to the dog who was already asleep again.

"Fine," Dani conceded as she got up and closed the door and locked it.

"She's kinda cute," Santana said as she looked at the husky mix she had noticed earlier.

"That's Winter," Dani said as she smiled at the friendly dog, "She's awesome, but she has tons of energy. She's husky, border collie, and part Australian shepherd."

"Aww she seems cool," Santana said as she leaned in to get a closer look at the dog.

"Do you live in the city?" Dani asked.

Santana glanced over, surprised by the unexpected question, "Why? You looking for a place to crash?"

Dani laughed at the question, "No, I actually live in Brooklyn, so I'm good," Dani explained, "But Marsha is only going to let Winter go to a home in the suburbs or country with a big fenced in yard because she's so high energy."

"Oh, right," Santana said as she straightened up, realizing that her small apartment wouldn't be a good choice for a dog like this.

"But there are tons of other dogs," Dani encouraged as she began to lead Santana to the other row of cages. She pointed out a few others, that Santana dismissed for various reasons before turning to face the blonde.

"Which of these dogs is your favorite?" She asked, knowing she and Dani had been getting along really well and figuring the girl could point her in the direction of the most desirable dog.

"Well, I shouldn't pick favorites, because all of these dogs are great," Dani started, but was already walking towards the far end of the room.

"Mhmm," Santana agreed, excited to se where Dani was leading her.

"But Oscar has a very special place in my heart," Dani said with a grin as she stopped outside of the last cage in the row.

Santana was preparing to tease the blonde about the name of the dog before she glanced in and immediately gasped, "Oh my god, _that's_ your favorite?" She looked in at the dog, who seemed to be some sort of pug, but had a hint of an underbite, with tiny teeth poking up over his lip. He somehow appeared both scrawny and chunky at the same time and Santana could see he was missing a foot. She glanced back over at Dani, "Are you fucking with me?"

Dani's jaw dropped at the accusation, "Of course not!" She replied as she turned a loving gaze on to Oscar, "He has the best personality - he's so sweet and goofy, I absolutely love spending time with him."

Santana eyed the dog again, clearly not seeing whatever Dani was seeing, "Goofy is one word for it."

"Hey," Dani admonished with a playful glare, "Don't judge him until you get to know him."

Santana crouched down to get a better look at the dog, "Hey Oscar," she called out, still trying to figure out why Dani was so fond of this little mess of a dog. Upon hearing his name, the dog began waddling over to Santana and panted happily, his tongue hanging out of his mouth as he tilted his head to look at her.

"Oh my god," Santana said, a laugh escaping her as she looked at the dog before, "There is something not right with this dog."

"And yet, he's making you smile," Dani pointed out with a grin of her own, "What do you say we bring Oscar back to one of the play rooms so he can wow you with his awesomeness?"

"I don't think he'll be 'wowing' me, but I'll see what he's got," Santana said as she stood up, but allowed Dani to unlock the cage and retrieve Oscar before leading the way to one of the small viewing rooms that were designed to allow potential adopters interact with a dog. A few well-worn toys were scattered around the tiny room, and Dani and Santana both took a seat on the floor, facing each other, before Dani let Oscar free to roam around and sniff at various toys.

"Seriously, he's your favorite?" Santana questioned again as the pug mix stumbled over a toy on the ground in his rush to get to a different toy.

"Yes," Dani said with a nod, her gaze falling lovingly on the dog.

"So why don't you adopt him then?" Santana questioned, wondering why Dani didn't take him home since it seemed like no one else would want him.

Dani let out a sigh as she leaned her head back against the wall, "I wish I could, but my apartment doesn't allow pets. I would move to a place that allowed pets if I could, but it's so hard to find places in my price-range as it is, I really can't afford to give up my apartment to move somewhere else."

Santana nodded at that, she definitely know how hard it could be to find cheap apartments in New York. "Why not just sneak him in? I feel like a lot of your neighbors are probably doing way worse stuff."

"Definitely true," Dani agreed with a chuckle, "But Marsha won't adopt to anyone until she contacts their landlord and gets proof that pets are allowed in the building, she doesn't want dogs to end up back here because people were trying to hide it from their landlords."

"Wait, so you actually need permission from your landlord to adopt a pet here?" Santana asked, shocked as it was the first time she'd ever considered it.

"Is your place not pet-friendly?" Dani asked with a quirked eyebrow.

Santana shrugged, "I honestly have no idea, it never occurred to me to check." Oscar came over and dropped a toy in Santana's laugh, she chuckled before tossing the toy to the other side of the small room so the excited dog could chase it.

Dani laughed, "Well, I'll put in a good word about your application to Marsha, but it won't do much if your place doesn't allow pets, she's kind of a stickler."

Santana smiled at Dani's offer to put in a good word, but dismissively waved off her apologetic look, "It's cool, I wasn't even that sold on the idea of getting a pet anyway."

"Wow, are you trying to have the worst application ever," Dani chuckled, "Not sure if your place is pet-friendly and not sure that you even want an animal."

Santana laughed as she realized she had essentially taken herself and Brittany out of consideration for getting any pet from here, "This was kind of a spur-of-the-moment idea," she explained, "My girlfriend's idea actually." Santana paused, debating whether she wanted to say more, but Dani's expression was warm and friendly, and she really wanted someone to talk with about the thoughts she'd been keeping inside, "Our relationship hasn't been great recently," she explained, "We haven't been spending much time together, and when we do, we can never agree on what we want to do. So Brittany had the idea to get an animal as something we can bond over and we can spend time together to take care of a new pet."

Dani gave a small nod at that, her expression once again hard to read. "I'm sorry you've been having a tough time in your relationship, that must be hard," she offered, "But I have to say, and I'm sorry if I'm being too blunt, getting an animal to try and help the relationship is a really awful idea."

Santana laughed at the response, that was indeed blunt, "No that's very true," she said, her reaction seeming to reassure Dani she hadn't overstepped, "That's what I've been thinking the whole day, I was actually really anxious the whole way here. But once I learned we have to put in an application and get approved and that whole process, I felt a little better knowing I wasn't going home with an animal today."

"If that's how you feel, why not tell your girlfriend?" Dani asked, scratching behind Oscar's ears as he came over to sit in her lap.

"You really are blunt," Santana joked, but found she didn't mind that Dani was speaking her mind. "I don't know," she answered honestly, "I didn't want to disappoint her I guess. She got so excited at the idea of getting a pet and I can tell she really thinks it will make things better between us. I didn't have the heart to tell her that I didn't think it was a good idea; if you knew Brittany, you'd understand. She's incredibly sweet and trusting, sometimes in an almost too-naive way, she even still believes in Santa."

Dani raised her eyebrows, "For real? Or she's just one of those people who's really into Christmas?"

"No, for real," Santana confirmed. She saw the way Dani nodded and pressed her lips together, as if trying to hold back what she really wanted to say. Santana couldn't help but chuckle at the blonde's reaction and she nudged Dani's leg with her foot, "And no judging, if you knew her it would make more sense."

"No judgment here, I accept everyone," Dani said as she held up her hands to proclaim her innocence.

"Yeah, clearly," Santana retorted as she looked at the dog sprawled across Dani's lap.

"You, on the other hand," Dani said with a smirk as she appraised Santana, "Have done nothing but judge since I met you. But admit it, this little guy here, who you judged hardest of all, is totally stealing your heart." Dani held the dog up in front of Santana, not unlike the way Rafiki held Simba at the beginning of The Lion King. Only instead of an adorable lion cub, it was a odd-looking pug mix wheezing and blinking its big eyes at her.

Santana laughed as she looked at the sight before her, "Nope, not even a little bit," she shot back as she tried to maintain a serious expression.

Dani gasped and held the dog even closer, "Oh come on, I know you can't resist this cutie! Admit that you love him!"

"No!" Santana protested, unable to keep herself from laughing as the dog's tongue poked out of his mouth as Dani waved him in front of Santana.

"Admit it," Dani prodded, a wide grin on her face as she shifted even closer to hold Oscar a few inches away from Santana's face.

"Alright fine, he somehow manages to be cute and he's not terrible," Santana said, not willing to admit anything more than that.

"I'll take it," Dani said with a proud smile. Oscar's tongue continued to loll out of his mouth as he panted happily before he let out a small toot, which caused the two girls to immediately burst into laughter.

"Ew, I take it back! I take it back!" Santana cried out between laughs.

"No, too late! No take backs, he knows how you feel!" Dani replied as she cuddled the dog close to her chest.

"What's going on?"

Santana was startled by the sound of her girlfriend's voice and she glanced over to see Brittany standing in the doorway of the small room with a confused smile on her face. Santana had been laughing so hard with Dani she hadn't even heard the door opening.

"Oh, hey Britt, we were just playing with this dog," Santana explained, knowing that her response didn't give a reason for their laughter, but she knew she wouldn't be able to explain it in a way that made sense. It was like trying to describe an inside joke to someone else - if they weren't there, they won't find it funny no matter how much you try to explain it.

"Do you two know each other?" Brittany asked as she took a closer look at Dani, as if trying to place her.

"No, I mean…we just met a little bit ago," Santana replied, "Dani's a volunteer here."

"Hey," Dani greeted with a friendly smile, that Santana noticed didn't match the smile the blonde had given her when they'd first met half an hour ago.

"Hi," Brittany returned the greeting before returning her attention to her girlfriend, "San, they have the most amazing cat over there. I'm pretty sure he's Lord Tubbington's third cousin, once removed. We have to get him."

Santana could feel Dani's gaze on her, though she wasn't sure if the blonde was merely confused over Brittany's ramblings or if she was giving her a pointed look about getting a pet after everything Santana had admitted earlier.

"That's great, Britt," Santana said with a smile, "But I told you I wasn't so sure about a cat."

"I know, but you loved Lord Tubbington and this cat gives off really good energy," Brittany reasoned, "Come on, you have to at least come and see him."

Santana resisted the urge to sigh and instead gave Brittany a patient smile, "Okay, go ahead and I'll meet you in the other room." Although she knew she could just get up and go with her girlfriend now, she wanted the chance to talk to Dani for a moment. She looked over to where the volunteer was playing with Oscar and trying not to stay out of their conversation.

Brittany cast a glance between Santana and Dani, but her enthusiasm didn't waiver as she gave an excited nod, "Okay, I'll see you over there."

The door to the playroom closed as Brittany left and the small room was silent for a moment, apart from Oscar's little wheezes and grunts as he played tug of war with a rope toy, with Dani at the other end.

Santana couldn't shake the feeling that she'd done something wrong or had something she needed to apologize for, although she wasn't sure why. Dani knew she had a girlfriend and Brittany hadn't walked in on her doing anything inappropriate. Deep down, Santana knew it was because even though she hadn't actually done anything, she had been flirting with Dani…and it would have only been a matter of time before she would have done something even more inappropriate.

"I get the Santa thing now," Dani spoke up, ending the silence between them as a small smile played on her lips.

"Don't. Judge." Santana repeated, trying to hide her own amused smile at what Dani's impression of her girlfriend must be after that odd encounter.

"I wasn't!" Dani insisted, though her smirk said otherwise.

Santana allowed herself to exchange a playful smile with Dani before she let out a sigh, "I guess I have to go deal with that now," she said as she waved a hand in the direction Brittany had disappeared in.

Dani gave a nod, "If it makes things easier, you two can put in an application so you don't have to disappoint her. But I'll make sure it doesn't get approved so you don't have to worry about getting a pet you're not ready for."

"Thanks," Santana said with a genuine smile at how Dani was willing to help her out to avoid an uncomfortable discussion with her girlfriend, "But I probably need to stop putting off having a real talk with Brittany. I mean, we almost impulsively adopted an animal today just because I was too nervous to just talk to her. I can't keep putting it off or who knows what will happen."

Dani gave a small nod and Santana could tell she was trying her best to keep a neutral face. "Well, good luck, I know those kinds of conversations are never fun." She paused and seemed to be considering something as her gaze remained fixed on the toy she was using to play with Oscar, "And yeah, I know those conversations can be hard or upsetting or whatever, so if you need someone to talk to after or if you want to grab a drink and vent, I can give you my number."

Santana quirked an eyebrow and couldn't help the smirk that appeared on her face, "Wow, I can't believe you're hitting on me while I'm dreading this serious conversation I need to have with my girlfriend."

"No, I didn't mean…" Dani's gaze snapped up nervously before she noticed the playful smirk Santana had on her face and realized she wasn't upset in the least. "You're a dick," she muttered, but the relieved smile on her face undermined her insult.

Santana simply chuckled as she stood up, "Guess I should head over there."

"Don't want to keep the third cousin of…Lord Tubbington, was it? Can't keep him waiting," Dani shot back with an amused smile on her face.

"Smart ass," Santana replied as she stood up. She noticed Dani's gaze on her as she did so, brown eyes lingering on her ass and her mouth opening as if she was going to make another sassy, or perhaps flirty, quip before she seemed to think the better of it.

Santana found herself slightly disappointed at missing out on whatever had been running through Dani's head, she figured it had been some retort to being called a smart ass by commenting on Santana's ass - one of her favorite features. She knew that any lingering doubt she'd had about Dani's sexual orientation was long gone, and that made her happier than she knew it probably should.

"Here," she said as she pulled her phone from her pocket and handed it to Dani, "In case I need to grab a drink and vent or whatever," she referenced Dani's earlier words with a teasing smile.

Dani rolled her eyes, but couldn't contain her happy grin as she took the phone and put her number in.

"I hope the conversation goes well," Dani said as she handed back the phone, "And, uh, I hope I hear from you," she added hesitantly, as if unsure whether the comment was too forward.

Santana returned her phone to her pocket and watched as Oscar waddled back over to sit on Dani's lap and both of them seemed to be watching her with hopeful brown eyes. "You will," Santana replied, not adding anything more than that, but knowing it was a promise she would keep. "Bye Dani, bye Oscar," she said as she gave a final glance to the pathetic-looking, but admittedly cute dog, before looking once more at Dani, who was giving her a happy smile. Santana returned the smile and walked out of the room.

As she walked down the hall to the cat room, she felt the familiar nerves and fear return; only this time, she felt something else - hope. She wasn't quite sure what she was feeling hopeful for - whether it was the conversation going well, an end to the increasingly strained relationship, or the start of something new. But, for the first time, Santana had the feeling that everything would work out and be okay, maybe not today or tomorrow, but eventually.

* * *

1 Year Later

Santana couldn't help the smile that spread across her face as the familiar one-story brick building came into view. The excitement inside the car was nearly palpable as they pulled into an open parking space and shut off the engine.

"You ready?" Santana asked as she turned to face her girlfriend. She let out a chuckle at the eager nod she got in return before the blonde practically bolted out of the car. Santana got out of the passenger side and walked around to where her girlfriend was digging around in the cluttered trunk. She wrapped her arms around the shorter girl's waist from behind and rested her chin on her shoulder, "Is it weird that I'm super excited about this too?"

Dani grabbed the bag of stuff she was looking for and turned in her girlfriend's embrace, "Of course not, babe," she reassured her as she leaned up to give her a quick kiss. "Yes, technically I'm the only one on the application because of the apartment situation, but you'll be moving in when your lease ends next month, so you should be excited, he's _ours_." Dani grinned before leaning in to kiss her again.

Santana smiled into the kiss as she tightened her hold on Dani's waist. She still couldn't believe Dani had asked her to move into her new apartment with her as soon as her lease was up. They'd been together nearly ten months, which felt like ages in lesbian time, and honestly they would have been official for a little longer if they hadn't waited two months after Santana broke up with Brittany out of respect for her exes feelings. Fortunately, she and Brittany eventually managed to resume their friendship, which Santana was grateful for.

Dani pulled away from the kiss and took Santana's hand to lead her towards the entrance.

"Well, good morning, Dani!" Marsha greeted with a smile that nearly rivaled the blonde's, "And good to see you again, Santana."

Santana gave a small wave to the woman she'd gotten to know a little bit over the last year. Although Santana had never officially signed up as a volunteer at the shelter, she'd accompanied her girlfriend on more than one visit over the last several months.

"Hey Marsha," Dani returned the greeting, "Today's the big day!"

"Indeed it is," Marsha agreed with a warm smile, "You know how happy I get when one of our long term residents gets a new home - and I couldn't be happier knowing he's going to such a wonderful home."

"Trust me, with the amount of stuff Dani bought for her place, he's going to be the most spoiled dog in all of New York," Santana teased, gently nudging her girlfriend who playfully rolled her eyes.

"Oh please, you bought nearly as much stuff as I did," Dani shot back before returning her eager gaze to Marsha. "Can we go get him?"

Marsha nodded, "Of course, honey. You all already took care of the paperwork and adoption fee so you're all set!"

Dani beamed and immediately made her way towards the back of the building. Santana exchanged a laugh with Marsha before following her girlfriend. She pulled out her phone before she stepped into the room housing the dogs and began to record; she knew Dani would appreciate having the reminder of this important moment later.

"Hey Oscar!" Dani greeted as she knelt down in front of the dog's cage. The pug mix reacted to the familiar voice and presence immediately as he hobbled over to the door and let out a happy bark.

Dani couldn't contain her excited laughter as she got up and opened the cage before kneeling down in front of the dog who was already all over her, trying to cover her in kisses. Dani reached into the bag she brought and pulled out a dark brown leather collar that Santana had helped her pick out.

"You're coming home with us, bud," Dani explained to the dog who was covering her hands and arms with kisses.

Santana felt her heart flutter with excitement at Dani's words. She couldn't believe that only a year ago, she'd been about to impulsively adopt a pet to try and salvage a relationship that was slowly falling apart. And now here she was, in a fantastic relationship with a woman she absolutely adored, and they were going to bring home the world's silliest and most loving dog to be a part of their little family. Oddly enough, nothing about that caused her to be nervous or fearful, she just felt excited. With Dani, everything just felt _right_.

"Hey you," Santana greeted as Oscar rushed over to greet her, his pace slowed by the leash he was now on. She laughed at his confusion over why he wasn't able to run freely and she bent down to scratch behind his ears. She couldn't believe how much this dog had grown on her over the past year. It was at the point now that Santana couldn't imagine getting any dog but Oscar; sure, he still was the weirdest looking dog she had ever seen - but now, she loved him because of his quirks not in spite of them.

"You ready to go?" Santana asked as she scooped Oscar up for a tight hug before putting him back down. Dani extended her hand and pulled her to her feet. Santana gave Dani's hand a squeeze as they looked at the dog waiting patiently at the end of the leash.

"I can't believe we actually get to take him home with us," Dani said in amazement.

"Well, home with you," Santana replied, "But I know what you mean."

"Don't even," Dani said as she glanced over at her girlfriend, "Ever since I moved into my new place, you've stayed over practically every night."

"Yeah, because you don't have roommates and I do," Santana pointed out.

"I mean, that definitely has certain benefits," Dani said with a wink, "But you know it's practically your place too. You can move in anytime, even before your lease is up, you know?"

Santana smiled at the offer, "Well that's good to know, because I think it's going to be even harder staying away from your place now that Oscar's there."

Dani laughed as she glanced over at the dog who was curiously sniffing around the room as far as the least would let him wander. "So, you ready to go home, babe?" She asked as she turned her attention back to Santana.

"Definitely," Santana replied with a grin as she leaned in to kiss her girlfriend.

* * *

A/N: I hope you enjoyed this oneshot! Please feel free to comment and leave suggestions for Dantana oneshots you'd like to see! I can't promise I'll write it, but I can definitely try to do something with it.


	5. Talk Derby to Me

A/N: This chapter contains smut. Title for this chapter is borrowed from an episode of Psych.

* * *

"There you are!" Rachel exclaimed, more than a hint of exasperation in her voice as her roommate strolled into the loft they shared, "We have to go, we'll be late!"

"Woah, calm down there, Berry," Santana said as she held her hands up to ward off the petite brunette who looked ready to drag her out the door. "First of all, I just got back from an incredibly lame coffee date - I swear this girl said her favorite activity was knitting outfits for her cats - so I'm not all that excited to be herded back outside. But more importantly, late for what?"

"No, don't!" Rachel quickly warned as she grabbed the purse Santana attempted to put down, "I'm serious, we have to go!"

"Hobbit, I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what we're late for," Santana said as she crossed her arms and stared expectantly at her roommate.

Rachel let out a frustrated sigh, "I've told you about that guy I met at the coffee shop the other day, the one who's incredibly charming and cute and funny," she waited for the other woman's nod of vague recognition, "Well, he works part-time at the roller derby as an announcer, and there's some sort of game or bout or whatever tonight."

Santana groaned and rolled her eyes, "Ugh, so you're dragging me to roller derby? That sounds even worse than my horrible date today."

"Santana, please," Rachel begged, giving her roommate her best pleading doe eyes, "You know that normally I would bring Kurt along and not bother you with this, but he's still out of town visiting Blaine and I don't want to go alone. I really like this guy and want to get to know him better. It would mean so much if you just went with me tonight."

"Fine," the other woman agreed with a sigh, "Let's go." She winced as Rachel's excited squeal nearly burst her eardrums and allowed herself to be led out of the loft.

Half an hour later, they were making their way through a small, but crowded venue to get a closer view of the roller rink.

"You'd think your 'super charming' guy would at least get us in for free," Santana muttered as they side-stepped a pair of guys who were already well on their way to wasted, "Why did we have to pay for our own tickets when he's the announcer or whatever?"

"Pete doesn't exactly know we're here," Rachel admitted as she used her small size to her advantage to slip between a group of men to get a front row view.

"Are you telling me that we're stalking this guy?" Santana asked as she followed her friend, ignoring the men who began trying to hit on her.

"No!" Rachel insisted as she glanced over at her friend, "When he told me he worked here, he said I should come check it out sometime."

Santana rolled her eyes, knowing that what they were doing was barely one step down from stalking. "Next time let me know if we're actually invited someplace before you drag me out of the apartment - also, his name is Pete?"

"Yes, why?" Rachel asked.

"Is he a 67-year-old hippy? Because I am not okay with a gross old guy hanging around our place."

"No, he's only a couple years older than us," Rachel said with an eye roll, "And he's very handsome."

The other woman scoffed at the use of the word 'handsome', which was something only Rachel Berry would use to describe a guy she was actually attracted to and not just to compliment an adorable child in a tuxedo.

"Whatever, you so owe me for this," she muttered as she glanced around the crowded venue that was full of people she would not willingly spend time with. She felt a little out of place given the attention she was receiving in her short, tight dress, but at least with her leather jacket she looked like she somewhat fit in, as opposed to Rachel who was wearing a sundress and cardigan.

"I thought you would be excited about this," Rachel admitted, "It is an all-female sport after all."

"Yeah, because I'm totally into butch chicks getting violent with each other and bleeding everywhere," she deadpanned as she watched a few derby girls move out onto the rink. It was obvious they were the opposing team, as they were hardly getting any attention except from a small section of fans in the audience.

"Oh, look, there he is!" Rachel squealed, pointing to where a tall guy with dark hair was moving to join the refs in the center of the rink, microphone in hand.

"Ladies and Pervs, welcome to Derby Friday!" Pete called out, eliciting cheers and laughs from the crowd. "Are you ready to see some amazing women kicking ass and scoring points?" The audience let out another enthusiastic cheer and Santana rolled her eyes at Rachel's excited applause.

"That's what I like to hear!" Pete called out, "Alright, let's bring these ladies out!" He waited for the audience's applause before continuing, "Starting with our own local ladies, the Brooklyn Bruisers, we have team captain, Pauline 'Pain-occhio' Morton."

Santana watched as a butch woman who appeared to be in her late 30's rolled out into the rink to excited cheers. She wasn't sure of the rules of the game, but she was fairly certain it involved violence and this woman looked like she could knock someone out easily.

"Next up, Maria 'Speedy Gonzalez' Alvarez," Pete announced.

"Okay, that's just racist," Santana muttered as a petite Hispanic woman emerged on the track.

"I read about her online," Rachel said, ignoring her roommate's attitude, "She's the team's jammer, it's her job to pass the others and score points for the team. She only joined last year, but apparently she's very good."

"Berry, I don't care," Santana replied, "And I'm a little disturbed you've done so much research into this for a guy you met, like, once."

Rachel huffed and returned her attention to the announcer.

"Alright folks, we have Rita 'Beater' Horton and her lovely partner-in-crime 'Vicious Vicky' Cole. The dream team for pain and violence and one threesome I would not want to get involved in." The audience laughed and applauded as two women skated out to the rink holding hands.

"Oh, I read about them too. They're a couple," Rachel explained to her friend.

"No shit, Sherlock," Santana said with an eye roll, "And just like every other butch lesbian here, so not my type. The next time you drag me someplace against my will, make sure there's at least eye candy."

"And last, but certainly not least, Dani 'The Siren' Harper. Careful everyone, she'll steal your heart and knock you out with one look before you even know what hit you."

Santana watched as an attractive blonde took to the rink and couldn't help but let her gaze wander over the woman's curves.

"What about her? She's cute," Rachel pointed out, as if searching for a reason to convince Santana to stay and enjoy the evening.

Santana shrugged, but didn't say anything, not wanting to prove Berry right and let her off the hook. However, she was almost offended by the word 'cute', this woman - Dani, or 'The Siren', was straight up hot. She found her attention drawn to the blonde who was strategizing with her teammates and completely missed Pete announcing the players for the opposing team. Before she realized what was happening, the players were getting into their starting positions and Santana suddenly found herself quite interested in how this event would unfold.

The sound of the starting whistle distracted Santana and she watched as the derby girls took off in a blur of motion.

"Woah, what's happening," she asked, taking as much of a step back from the edge of the rink as she could given that she and Rachel were practically pressed up against the barrier by the enthusiastic crowd behind them.

"The first jam just started," the brunette explained.

"Jam?" Santana asked, as she tried to keep track of the only attractive player out there. When she didn't get a response, she glanced over to see an annoying look of resolve on Rachel's face. She rolled her eyes, knowing that the other girl was punishing her since she had made fun of the brunette for researching the derby. "I'm sorry for what I said before - now, will you please tell me what the hell is going on?"

"Gladly," Rachel replied with a pleased smile, "There are two 30 minute periods made up of episodes called jams. Jams last for two minutes, during which the teams try to score points. Each team has a jammer, that's the one with the star on the helmet," she pointed out the girl zooming by, who Santana recognized as the one they called 'Speedy Gonzalez'.

"The jammer is typically the fastest player on the team, her job is to break free from the pack - the other players - and skate around the rink and try to lap every one. Each time she passes an opposing player, her team scores a point."

"Okay, what about everyone else," Santana asked, more interested in learning about the others since Dani wasn't a jammer.

"Most of the other players are blockers, they try to stop the opposing jammer from scoring and try to help their own jammer."

Santana nodded as she followed along, wincing as she watched one of the other team's blockers take out 'Speedy Gonzalez' with an elbow to the stomach. Although she was still confused about the logistics of the sport, she appreciated having a better understanding of the basics.

Rachel and Santana followed the events of the first period as the players cycled through several jams. By the time the first period drew to an end and there was a brief break, Santana felt like she had a much better grasp of the sport and was somewhat intrigued to see more. She knew much of that had to do with the attractive blonde blocker who kept drawing her attention.

During the break, Santana went to get drinks for her and her roommate as she was the only one that had a fake ID. Unfortunately, the venue only had beer and Santana much preferred mixed drinks. However, she knew having any sort of alcohol would help her to better cope with the loud and chaotic atmosphere and the guys who were constantly trying to hit on her or brush up against her ass. She ordered two light beers before heading back to rejoin her roommate.

As she approached, she noticed Pete had made his way over to Rachel and was talking to her on the other side of the half-wall barrier that separated the audience from the rink. She observed their interaction to try to get a better sense of the guy; she could tell from watching him earlier that he was definitely charismatic and a had a way with words - which had no doubt helped him charm his way into getting Rachel's number. However, Santana had a feeling that a guy that good with words was probably quite a flirt and not looking to settle into a relationship with a small, loud, diva.

"Here," Santana said as she handed Rachel her beer, glancing over at the guy who was looking her up and down, appraising the new arrival.

"Thanks!" Rachel replied, her attention barely leaving the man in front of them, "Pete, this is my roommate, Santana. Santana, this is Pete."

"Nice to meet you," Pete said with a grin.

"Same here," Santana replied in a bored tone. She could already tell this guy was in no way serious about her friend from the way he'd just been checking her out. It didn't surprise her given her previous assessment of the charismatic man, but she wished Rachel didn't have such terrible taste in men as it always fell on her to point out the flaws of her potential love interests.

"So what do you do? Are you a singer like Rachel or a model or something?" He asked with a smile that was definitely more flirtatious than friendly.

"Santana's a lesbian," Rachel announced in a clear attempt to draw the man's attention back to her.

"Huh," Pete said with a nod, "Kudos on finding a way to make that a profitable career."

Santana couldn't help but chuckle at the way the man not only took her sexual orientation in stride, but made a somewhat amusing joke out of Rachel's odd way of outing her.

"I do what I can," she joked back with a shrug, "Although I usually don't open with that." She shot a look at Rachel, who was completely ignoring her to focus on Pete.

"No worries, in case you couldn't tell already, we're very lesbian friendly here," Pete said with a pointed glance around at the derby girls, "If we weren't, we'd lose most of our team and a good part of the audience."

Rachel let out an overly enthusiastic laugh at the joke while Santana merely smirked and directed her attention to the derby team, her gaze finding the blonde who was chatting with her teammates as she iced a spot on her thigh from a pretty nasty takedown during the first period.

"So there are a lot of lesbians on the team?" Santana asked in what she hoped was a casual follow-up from his comment, "Like who exactly?" She returned her gaze to Pete who was fixing her with a knowing smile.

"See one you like?" He asked with a wink, causing Santana to fight off a blush as she merely shrugged.

"Just curious."

"Well, in case you ever do want any more specifics, let me know - I'm your guy for all things about the team. I've been working here for two years and know all of the girls well." His face lit up as he returned his attention back to Rachel, who beamed at the attention, "You two should come out with us after, the whole team always goes to a bar down the street after every bout."

"That sounds fun!" Rachel enthused, "We're definitely in!"

"We are?" Santana asked, shooting her friend a glare, but the petite brunette paid no attention to her.

"Great, I'll find you two after the end of the next period and we can head over together." He paused and glanced over at the clock, "Speaking of which, let's get this thing started." Pete gave Rachel a farewell wink as he returned to the center of the rink to announce the start of the next period.

"I can't believe you, Berry. It's not enough that you dragged me here in the first place, but now we have to go out for drinks after with a guy who so clearly will hit on anything with tits?"

Rachel huffed, "It's just drinks Santana, and you seemed to like him well enough. You certainly laughed at all his jokes."

"Yeah, he's funny, but that doesn't mean I think he's good for you."

"I will be the judge of that," the brunette replied sternly before glancing at her friend, "Besides, maybe you can talk to that blonde girl when we go to the bar."

"Stop trying to play Yente the lesbian matchmaker to get me off your case," Santana warned.

"Oh please, like I haven't noticed the way you've been staring at her this entire time. It's obvious you're into her."

Santana scowled, upset that she was being so transparent that even Rachel picked up on her attraction to the blonde. "It's not like I have any other options," she said as she waved a hand around at the players who were taking their places for the first jam of the second period. "If I have to be stuck here, obviously I'm going to focus on the most attractive person out there. That doesn't mean I'm into her."

"Whatever. We're going," Rachel replied stubbornly as she turned to face the rink.

Santana rolled her eyes and watched as the players took off around the rink. As she watched the blonde skate by, she couldn't help but feel the slightest bit excited at the thought of getting to talk to her later on that night.

The second period seemed to fly by even faster than the first, possibly due to the increase in violence and aggression as personal vendettas began to develop between players who sought revenge for hits taken in the first half. Although particularly violent moves were startling and cringe-worthy no matter what, Santana found herself reacting even more so when Dani was the one receiving the blows. Fortunately, as a blocker, Dani often gave more hits than she received and Santana would internally cheer whenever she made a particularly good block or helped her own jammer surge forward along the track.

When the second period drew to an end, Santana found she was actually cheering alongside Rachel that that the Brooklyn Bruisers had destroyed the Utica Crushers. However, she quickly toned down her reaction when Rachel gave her a smug look and simply rolled her eyes. As they waited for Pete to make his way over to them, Santana only half-listened to Rachel blabbing on about how reading about roller derby did not compare to experiencing the real thing.

Fortunately, Pete soon arrived to save Santana from her boredom and she gratefully followed him out of the venue.

"So, what did you think of your first roller derby experience?" Pete asked with an eager smile as he led them down the street.

"It was amazing!" Rachel gushed, "You were right, it really is incredible. I've never really been into sports personally, but it was a lot of fun to watch."

"Way better than watching sports on TV where there's a commercial every three minutes," Pete agreed before glancing at Santana, "What about you?"

"It was okay," she replied with a dismissive shrug.

"Just okay?" Pete asked with another knowing grin that Santana found absolutely maddening. She refused to give in and simply ignored his gaze. Moments later they reached their destination and Pete led them inside. "I'm going to head to the bar to order a couple of pitchers for the team before they get here," he announced, "What can I get you ladies?"

Santana raised an eyebrow at the smooth move of showing off that he not only bought drinks for the team, but was going to get them both something. Even though she found him somewhat enjoyable to be around, she was worried that Rachel wasn't prepared to handle a guy like Pete who could so easily be a player.

"Appletini," Rachel replied, causing Santana to roll her eyes at the girly drink order.

"Margarita on the rocks, no salt," Santana instructed.

"A tequila girl," Pete said with a grin, "If you weren't a lesbian…" he trailed off with a teasing wink as he turned to get the drinks.

"Can you believe he's getting us and the whole team drinks?" Rachel gushed, "He's such a nice guy!"

"You do realize he was just blatantly flirting with me," Santana pointed out, knowing that it had been playful, but flirting nonetheless. "Rachel, you need to be careful around him. He's too smooth for his own good."

"Relax, I'm not in love with him. I just like getting to know him."

"Okay," Santana replied with a cautious glance at her friend, "As long as you promise to listen to me this time. I don't want this turning into another Brody situation."

"I promise," Rachel replied, although her dismissive tone did nothing to alleviate Santana's concerns. Before she could press Rachel on the issue further, the door burst open and a crowd of rowdy women poured into the bar cheering excitedly.

"Oh look, it's the derby girls!" Rachel called out, turning to watch the excited women make their way over to a group of tables not far from where Pete had left the two of them.

Santana didn't reply, but glanced around for one person in particular. She began to worry that the woman she had hoped to see hadn't joined her team at the bar, but then spotted a familiar head of blonde hair amongst the group of women. She felt a smile spread across her face as she checked out the blonde who had changed into jeans and a faded band t-shirt underneath a leather jacket. Although the derby uniform had been hot due to the tight and revealing nature of the clothes, Santana definitely appreciated the rocker vibe she was getting from Dani.

"I'm back," Pete announced, drawing Santana's attention in time to see the grin he was giving her, clearly having caught her checking out the blonde derby girl. She accepted her drink with a muttered 'thank you' and took a long sip.

"So, now that the girls are here, can I make any introductions or fill you in on any team secrets?" He teased, directing the question more to Santana than Rachel.

"I always love hearing the gossip," Rachel replied, "Tell us everything worth knowing."

Santana rolled her eyes at Rachel's nosiness making itself known. However, she also didn't complain as Pete began telling them interesting tidbits about the team. The two girls glanced over at the team every now and then, following along with who he was sharing information about. After several long minutes, Santana realized he seemed to purposely be avoiding disclosing anything about one team member in particular.

She knew this was intentional given the knowing looks Pete had been giving her earlier, and as much as she hated to give in, she also wanted to appease her curiosity. "What about her?" She asked, trying to give a nonchalant nod in the blonde's direction.

"Oh, Dani?" Pete asked, in what Santana knew was a blatant attempt to feign ignorance over his intentional oversight of mentioning the blonde. "Well, there are certainly plenty of interesting stories to share about Dani…but I should really let her tell you herself."

Before Santana could stop him or tell him it wasn't necessary, he turned in the direction of the derby girls. "Hey Dani!" He called out, getting the attention of the blonde and waving her over.

Santana felt her heart rate pick up, signaling the onset of anxiety, an unfamiliar feeling for the overly-confident Latina.

"What's up?" Dani asked Pete as she joined the group, flashing a warm smile of greeting to the two women.

"I wanted to introduce you to some people," Pete replied, "Dani, this is Rachel -"

"Oh, the girl from the coffee shop," Dani replied with a nod of understanding, "I'm glad I get to finally meet you."

Santana didn't have to look over to know that her roommate undoubtedly had a wide smile on her face. She had to admit, she was a little surprised that Pete had mentioned meeting Rachel to anyone else and wondered if he and Dani were perhaps closer than she had realized.

"And this is her friend, Santana," Pete finished the introductions.

Santana felt her breath catch in her throat when Dani finally met her gaze for the first time that evening. The woman was absolutely gorgeous and had a smile that made Santana's knees weak.

"Nice to meet you, Santana," Dani replied, holding her gaze.

"I was just regaling them with stories about the team," Pete informed the blonde, "But since you have even better stories than me, I figured I should let you take over."

"What kind of stories?" Dani asked, "Hopefully all good ones."

"Only the best," Pete replied with a grin, "And by best, I mean the worst. Like the time Pauline split her pants in the middle of a jam."

Dani laughed and Santana was sure she'd never heard a better sound. "Oh, that was amazing." She replied with a nod before glancing over at the two women, "We told her she could go back to the locker room to change, but she refused saying that it would distract the other team and give us an advantage - and it totally worked."

Santana chuckled at the story, finding herself drawn in by the blonde's smile and hanging on her every word.

"Oh damn, would you believe I forgot to order a drink for myself," Pete announced, making a show of looking at his empty hands before glancing over at the brunette, "Rachel, would you mind accompanying me to the bar?"

"Of course!" She enthused with an eager nod.

Pete smiled and began to lead her away before leaning in to quickly whisper something to Dani, causing the blonde to raise her eyebrows in surprise as she glanced over at Santana.

Santana watched as Pete gave her a wink before leading Rachel off. If she was given three guesses to figure out what he had said to the blonde, she would only need one.

"Let me guess, he told you I was a lesbian?" Santana asked, knowing that from the way the other man had conveniently left the two of them alone and whispered to Dani, he had done that intentionally. Although she knew she should be irritated, she couldn't help but hope that meant Dani played for her team.

The blonde laughed and nodded, "Pete's not exactly the most discrete, I suppose," she said as she glanced at the retreating man before fixing her gaze on Santana with a smirk, "So, does that mean he was telling the truth?"

Santana felt herself getting flustered at the intense look Dani was giving her and nodded before trying to play it off with a small shrug. She knew she wasn't imagining things as the blonde's smile turned almost seductive, "Well, I have to say I'm surprised."

"Oh?" Santana replied, not having expected that response. "I thought you'd be used to being around lesbians," she gestured around the bar, which was now crowded not only with the derby girls, but many of their fans as well.

"I definitely am," Dani replied, "But you are by far the most beautiful woman I've ever seen - and for you to be a lesbian on top of that? It really must be my lucky day."

Santana smirked at the response, "Here I was thinking Pete was a smooth talker, but he has nothing on you."

Dani chuckled at that, "Don't lump me in with Pete. He approaches flirting like a sport. I just blindly stumble through, try to do my best, and hope that something I say comes across well."

Santana chuckled, appreciating the bit of self-deprecating humor so she knew the girl didn't have an oversized ego. "You're doing very well so far," she replied with a flirty smile of her own.

"Yeah?" The blonde asked with a grin, receiving a nod of confirmation from the other woman. "So tell me more about you. What brings someone as stunning as you to the roller derby on a Friday evening?"

Santana attempted to hide her smile at the comment as she finished her drink. "Well, my roommate dragged me here," she explained, "She's crushing hard on Pete, which makes me nervous," she paused, looking at the blonde, "Am I right to be nervous about that?"

Dani shrugged, "Depends what your friend is looking for. Pete is a decent guy, but he's not looking for anything serious."

"I thought as much," Santana said, "And Rachel is definitely not the casual fling type of girl, even if she pretends to be."

Dani nodded, "Probably not going to work out too well, but don't worry, Pete is very upfront about that. He won't lead her on or just hook up with her and ditch her. He really hates drama so when he figures out she wants something more serious, he'll nicely put an end to things."

"Good to know," Santana said with a nod, appreciating that Pete wasn't apparently as sleazy a guy as she had feared.

"So what about you?" Dani asked before pausing and shaking her head, "Sorry, dumb question. I'm sure you have a girlfriend."

"Well if I did, she'd probably be pretty pissed that I was just flirting with you," Santana pointed out with a smirk, eliciting a chuckle from the blonde. "But no, I don't have a girlfriend."

"I find that hard to believe…and also incredibly disheartening for all the lesbians in New York - if someone as gorgeous as you is single, what hope do the rest of us have?"

"Shut up," Santana said with an amused eye roll as she playfully shoved Dani's shoulder, smiling as the blonde chuckled, "Besides, you're super hot so I could ask you how you're still single."

Dani shrugged and opened her mouth to respond when they interrupted by Pete and Rachel making their way back over.

"Sorry to interrupt," Pete said, shooting an apologetic look at Dani, "I just wanted to drop off a fresh round of drinks."

Santana shrugged off the interruption and glanced over at Rachel, "You doing okay, Berry?" She asked, wondering if Pete had yet informed her roommate that he was just looking for something casual.

"I'm doing amazing," Rachel gushed and Santana took that as a sign that the two had not yet discovered they were looking for different things, "Pete was just telling me about his and Dani's band."

"You're in a band?" Santana asked, directing her attention to the blonde.

Dani smiled and nodded, "Yeah, we started it with a couple friends about a year ago. It's just like small local gigs and stuff, nothing big."

"That's still amazing," Santana said with an intrigued smile, "So, do you play an instrument then?"

"I mostly just sing," the blonde replied.

"But she also plays guitar and piano," Pete interjected, earning an eye roll and slight shove from Dani.

Santana chuckled at the bashful blonde, finding the sudden modesty adorable. "I have to say, I'm impressed."

"How do you think she got her derby name?" Pete asked, "She's called 'The Siren' because she's gorgeous and has an amazing voice, but get too close and she'll destroy you."

"Men," Dani corrected, "I destroy men. I'm very nice to women."

"That's the truth," Pete said with a laugh, "Her siren powers only work to take down the horny men in her path, but put a pretty girl in front of her and she's a harmless kitten."

"Well, that's not exactly a flattering description," Dani muttered, earning chuckles from the others.

"I'd love to hear you sing sometime," Santana said with a flirtatious smile, hoping to score an invite to see Dani's band play.

"Santana and I used to be in our high school's glee club together, so we love music," Rachel gushed while Santana shot her a sharp look for mentioning that she used to be a part of such a lame club.

"You were in glee club?" Dani asked, and Santana could tell from the amused smirk that the blonde was clearly judging her.

"Yes, it was incredible! We won Nationals our senior year," Rachel enthused.

"I was also co-captain of the cheerleading squad," Santana added, trying to save face in front of the blonde after her roommate threatened to take away all of her coolness.

It seemed to work as Dani's smirk grew while her gaze trailed over Santana's figure, undoubtedly imagining the other girl in uniform, "Now that I can picture."

Glad that Rachel hadn't completely destroyed her chances with the hot blonde, Santana decided to up the flirting game to ensure Dani stayed interested. "I still have the uniform…" she said as she caught Dani's gaze, seeing the other woman's eyes darken with lust.

"Oh, yeah?" Dani replied, clearly intrigued by the thought.

Santana let out a hum of confirmation, "You know the best part about being head cheerleader in high school?" She watched as the blonde shook her head and leaned in to whisper, not wanting the others to overhear, "I'm incredibly flexible…and I'm great at taking charge and giving orders - you know, if you're into that."

She pulled away with a smirk at how turned on Dani looked. She could tell Pete and Rachel were giving her a curious look, wondering what she had said to make the blonde look so dazed with lust.

"Do you want to get out of here?" Dani asked as she fixed Santana with a hopeful gaze.

Santana was surprised at just how well her teasing had worked, but didn't think twice as she nodded, "I'd love to," she replied with a flirty smile before glancing over at Rachel, "You okay to look after yourself, Hobbit?"

"Yes, I'm not a child, Santana," Rachel snapped, clearly upset over the nickname and implication she needed a babysitter.

"I'll make sure she gets home okay," Pete promised, with a genuine smile and no trace of anything lecherous or concerning in his tone.

Santana gave a nod before turning her attention back to Dani, who gave her a small smile as she took her hand and began leading her toward the door. The pair were met with a few whistles and catcalls from a couple of Dani's teammates who noticed their departure.

"Sorry about them," Dani murmured with a slightly embarrassed smile.

Santana gave a dismissive shrug, "Doesn't bother me, feel free to play it up if you'd like; after all, you're definitely getting laid tonight, so they're not wrong to react that way."

"Damn, you are really something else," Dani observed, giving her an amused smile before shooting what Santana could only assume was a smug smirk over her shoulder at her teammates as they reached the exit.

Dani kept her hold on Santana's hand as they made their way along the sidewalk en route to the nearest subway station. "I honestly can't believe this is happening," the blonde admitted as she shook her head in disbelief.

"Don't make me sound so easy," Santana joked, "I mean, I know I agreed to go back to your place after a five minute conversation, but still."

"No it's not that," Dani replied with a chuckle, "It's just that ever since I first saw you at the bout, I've been in complete disbelief that someone can be so beautiful…and the fact you're into me too, it's just hard to wrap my head around."

"Wait, you saw me at the bout?" Santana asked, "I didn't see you looking at me, like, at all."

Dani gave a small shrug, "That's because I first noticed you during the team introductions before I went out. I was absolutely floored by how hot you are, but I knew I couldn't risk looking at you again because it would be too distracting. And being that distracted in roller derby can lead to very bad things."

Santana chuckled as she shook her head, "Wow, I really didn't think you noticed me at all until we got to the bar and Pete called you over."

"Trust me, I noticed you…and I may have snuck a few looks during the break when you were chatting with Pete and your roommate. I honestly didn't know you were at the bar though until Pete called me over."

"Would you have tried to chat me up sooner if you'd known I was there?" Santana asked as they began descending the stairs into the subway station.

"Yeah probably," Dani admitted with a small smile, "But I wouldn't have guessed you were gay, I just would have been hoping I could have piqued your interest enough to give me a chance."

Santana laughed at that and waited until they were past the turnstiles before leaning in close, "Little did you know, I was already very interested and all it would take was a little small talk."

"And now thanks to you, the team thinks I'm some kind of god. I'm going to be getting a ton of questions tomorrow," Dani replied as a pleased smirk played on her lips.

"Oh, like that's anything new," Santana said as she rolled her eyes, "I'm sure they've seen you bring home tons of hot girls."

"No one as beautiful as you," Dani replied, "Seriously, Santana. I don't mean to keep bringing this up, because I know there's more to you than your looks, but you are stunning."

"There's really not too much more to me," Santana joked, but couldn't help the confident smile on her face.

"I'm sure that's not true," Dani insisted as their train arrived.

Santana smiled and decided to change topics as they settled into a pair of empty seats, "So where exactly are we headed?"

"Not too far. I'm at the edge of Williamsburg, close to Bushwick," Dani explained, "We could have walked from bar, but it would have been another fifteen minutes or so and I'm feeling a little impatient."

"No way, I'm over in Bushwick," Santana responded with a grin, not knowing why she felt so excited that the blonde wasn't too far from her. "And I definitely agree with the choice to take the subway," she said with a wink, causing Dani to smile.

The conversation continued to flow easily between the pair, the tone remaining light, teasing, and flirty for the remainder of the trip. By the time Dani led Santana into her tiny studio apartment, both women were more than ready to do something about their obvious sexual chemistry.

"I like your place," Santana said as she glanced around, not mentioning that one of the things she liked best about the small space was the lack of distance between them and the bed in the opposite corner of the room.

"Thanks," Dani replied, "It's not much, but for New York it's not bad."

"Are you kidding? This place is great, I would love my own place and to not have to deal with roommates," Santana enthused as she finished checking out the studio and returned her attention to Dani.

"I do love not having roommates," Dani confirmed with a nod, "I can be naked in my place as much as I want."

Santana let out an appreciative hum as she pictured that, "With a body like that, you should never wear clothes."

Dani laughed and shook her head in amusement, "Well, I could say the same to you."

"Then we agree, we shouldn't be wearing any clothes right now," Santana smirked as she slipped off her jacket and tossed it on a nearby chair.

Dani's expression turned from playful to lustful in a second as she followed Santana's lead and removed her own jacket.

Santana's smirk remained in place, she was pleased that the other woman had no intention on trying to slow things down. She stepped out of her heels before turning to make her way towards the bed, along the way, she pulled her dress off over her head and tossed it aside. She could hear the sound of desire that Dani emitted, but she resisted the urge to glance behind her as she confidently made her way to the queen sized bed tucked in the corner.

By the time she was settled on the bed clad only in her underwear, Dani was nearly finished taking off her jeans, her top already having been discarded. Santana enjoyed the show and was more than ready to get a closer look at the beautiful woman who was only in a black bra and panties.

Santana let her gaze wander over Dani as the other woman crawled onto the bed to join her. Her brow furrowed as she took in the myriad of scratches and bruises that covered her body.

"Jesus, Dani" she muttered as she stroked over some of the bruises and faint scars visible on her arm, "Is this all from roller derby?"

Dani glanced down, as if forgetting the physical toll the sport had taken on her body, "Yeah, but it's not as bad as it looks," she admitted.

Santana wasn't quite sure how that was possible, sure the scratches and bruises weren't massive, but it was more than the average athlete had. "Doesn't it hurt?" Santana asked in confusion, "Why do you still do it?"

"Because it's fun and I like the adrenaline rush," Dani explained before taking on a decidedly more seductive tone, "Besides, I've always enjoyed a bit of pain."

The comment was enough to get Santana's attention off the cuts and bruises left behind from previous bouts, and her gaze lifted to meet Dani's. "Is that so?" She questioned, unable to ignore the way her body had reacted to the other woman's last statement.

Dani nodded as her hands moved up to run over Santana's thighs before trailing up her torso, "So don't think about trying to be gentle or go easy on me, it's not nearly as fun."

"Fuck," Santana murmured, feeling her arousal spike as she slipped a hand behind Dani's head and brought her in for a bruising kiss. The kiss was rough, passionate, and anything but gentle. Dani continued to move her hands up the other woman's body to palm her bra-clad breasts, while Santana dragged her nails down Dani's back, causing the blonde to let out a low moan.

Santana bit down on Dani's full lower lip, before soothing it with her tongue. Dani eagerly responded by drawing Santana's tongue into her mouth with her own, while the pressure she was applying to her breasts increased.

Santana appreciated the firmer grip on her breasts, but was becoming frustrated by the barriers that still remained between them. She unclasped Dani's bra and when the blonde had to briefly pull away to finish removing the garment, Santana reached behind her back to unhook and remove her own bra.

Dani grinned as she checked out Santana's now fully exposed chest before bringing her hands back to massage her breasts and tease her nipples. Santana wrapped a hand in Dani's hair and used her grip on the blonde tresses to sharply tug her down to resume their fervid kissing.

After several long minutes of increasingly passionate kisses and frenzied gropes, Santana decided it was time to take things further. She placed a hand on Dani's shoulder to push her back and took advantage of her surprise to get the other woman on her back before she could protest.

Santana took a moment to admire how gorgeous Dani looked with her blonde hair splayed out on the pillow, her chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath after their heated make out session.

"You are so fucking hot," Santana commented as she hooked her fingers under the waistband of Dani's panties and began to pull them down.

Dani grinned at the compliment and lifted her hips to assist Santana. "You weren't joking about that taking charge thing," she teased as she referenced Santana's comment earlier in the evening about the perks of having been head cheerleader.

"I wasn't lying about the flexibility either," Santana said with a playful wink. "Do you have a problem with someone else having control?" She asked as she ran her fingers through Dani's folds, feeling the evidence of her arousal, "Seems like you haven't minded so far."

Dani quickly shook her head, "I definitely don't have a problem with that," she confirmed, "Don't get me wrong, there are times when I love having all the control, but I'm also more than happy to give it up."

"Good answer," Santana said with a smirk, her own arousal escalating at the thought of Dani taking charge and dominating her - she really hoped she would get a chance to experience that some day. But tonight she wanted all the control over the gorgeous woman beneath her.

Santana placed her hands on Dani's thighs and parted them further, allowing better access to where she most wanted to be. She took her time settling on her stomach between the woman's thighs, in no rush to get right to business. She slipped her arms under Dani's thighs and wrapped her hands around to stroke over her stomach. Her mouth was inches from Dani's center, but she refused to move any closer as she stroked her hands idly over her torso.

Dani seemed to be getting impatient as her hand came up to rest on Santana's head, not adding any pressure but sending a subtle cue that she was getting tired of waiting.

Santana smirked as she used one of her hands to take hold of Dani's wrist to remove it from her head and pin it to the mattress. "I think someone needs to learn to be patient, or you'll be waiting much longer for what you want."

A whimper escaped Dani at the authoritative tone and she gave a small nod to indicate she understood. Her shifting hips made it clear she was only getting more aroused and her dripping center was aching for some relief.

Santana loved the control she had and even though she was dying to get a taste of Dani to satiate her own curiosity, she wanted to drag things out just a little bit longer. She released Dani's wrist and used both hands to trail up the woman's stomach before taking hold of her breasts and giving a firm squeeze. Dani's back slightly arched into the touch and she let out a loud moan, which quickly turned into a sharp gasp as Santana roughly rolled her nipples between her fingers.

"Seems you really do like it rough," Santana commented as she added more pressure and drew a throaty groan from Dani.

"I told you so," Dani replied in a way that would have been smug if she wasn't so affected by the attention Santana was giving her breasts.

Santana bit back a chuckle at the way Dani was so affected just from a bit of rough play with her breasts and she couldn't wait to add more stimulation to see what reactions she could elicit from the blonde. She leaned closer to Dani's core and slowly dragged her tongue through the wet folds.

"Fuck," Dani whined as she welcomed the attention to her neglected pussy, her thighs falling apart even further.

The response satisfied Santana who couldn't deny she was getting increasingly worked up by teasing and pleasing the other woman. It was her selfish desire for having her own needs addressed at some point that convinced her to not draw things out any longer and she focused her tongue on Dani's clit.

Dani let out an appreciative moan and brought her hands down as if to grab Santana's head to hold her where she wanted her; however, at the last second she paused and seemed to reconsider after her earlier attempt to do so had been reprimanded. Instead, she rested her hands on Santana's shoulders and gave an encouraging squeeze.

Santana was pleased that even in her current state, Dani was doing her best to follow her orders. She decided to reward the other woman by roughly pinching both nipples at the same time she sucked her clit into her mouth to tease it with her tongue.

Dani's back arched at the pleasurable assault and she panted out her encouragement, "Yes, fuck that feels so good!"

Although Santana never had any doubt about her skills, she always loved receiving praise and she continued to circle her clit with her tongue.

Dani's breath began to leave in gasps and pants as her climax rapidly built, she dragged her nails over Santana's upper back as the dark-haired woman mercilessly teased her clit with hard, fast licks.

"So close," Dani panted as her nails bit deeply into Santana's shoulders.

Encouraged by the comment, Santana felt a burst of energy and kept up the hard and fast pace she set with her mouth while her fingers squeezed and twisted Dani's nipples.

The blonde let out a loud gasp as her orgasm hit, "Fuck! Santana!"

Santana released her nipples and scratched her nails down the panting woman's torso as she continued to circle Dani's clit until the woman fully came down from her high. With a proud smirk fixed on her face, Santana crawled up Dani's body and settled beside her.

"Okay…that's not fair," Dani said as she struggled to regain control over her breathing, "Someone as gorgeous as you shouldn't be so fucking good at that…it just doesn't make sense."

Santana laughed at the compliment and let her fingers trail over Dani's abdomen, "What, did you expect me to be a pillow princess?"

"Kinda," Dani admitted, "And I would have been more than happy to deliver if you had been…but damn I was not expecting that."

"Careful, I think my friends are going to come after you if you keep stroking my ego this much. They already think I'm a total narcissist," Santana joked, but had to admit she didn't want the praise to ever stop.

Dani chuckled as she shifted to face the other woman, "Well, so far it seems you deserve to be very, very confident about yourself. You're incredible," she mused as she checked out the dark-haired woman, "Is there anything you can't do?"

"No, I am pretty amazing," Santana admitted with a playful smile, "And if there was anything, I don't know if I'd tell you because I'm really digging this impression you have of me."

Dani let out a laugh and shook her head, "Fair enough," she said with a grin before leaning closer to kiss Santana deeply.

Santana eagerly returned the kiss, more than ready to continue their previous activities as the throbbing between her thighs was very hard to ignore. In fact, Santana was so turned on, she wasn't going to let Dani even try to drag things out the way she had. While her mouth was still engaged with the other woman's, she took one of Dani's hands and slid it into her panties to let her feel exactly what she was doing to her.

Dani let out a soft moan into the kiss as her fingers trailed through the moisture pooled between Santana's legs. "Fuck, you're so wet for me," the blonde whispered against Santana's lips as she began to circle two fingers around her clit.

Santana gave a quick nod in response, she wasn't sure if she'd ever been so turned on before so she had no doubt that her body was betraying her high level of arousal. She hungrily claimed Dani's lips with her own as the woman continued to apply the perfect amount of pressure to her clit.

Just as her orgasm was beginning to slowly build, Dani removed her hand out of her panties and pulled away from the kiss. Santana's eyes snapped open, prepared to ask the other woman what the hell she thought she was doing, when she noticed Dani was simply adjusting her position in order to remove her panties.

Though still annoyed at the interruption, Santana allowed the blonde to pull down her lacy thong and toss it in the general direction of her other clothes. However, instead of returning to her previous position, Dani settled herself between her thighs.

Santana had to admit, the thought of Dani going down on her further escalated her arousal, which she didn't think was possible at this point. She watched as Dani began to place tender kisses and nips along her inner thighs.

"Don't you even think about drawing this out," Santana warned as she caught the mischievous look in Dani's eyes.

"Why not? You did," Dani replied as she nipped at her inner thigh and roughly sucked before released the tender, reddening flesh, "Maybe I want some payback."

"Then you should have been to take control tonight," Santana replied as she gripped Dani's hair and roughly pulled her mouth where she wanted it. She heard a muffled 'fuck' being murmured against her center before Dani eagerly began licking through her wet folds.

Santana moaned at the much needed contact and relaxed into the pillows, relieved Dani wasn't going to be stubborn. However, she maintained her firm grip on the blonde hair to make sure she didn't have any plans on leaving. If Santana had thought Dani was good with her fingers, they didn't have anything on the tongue that was currently circling her clit with enough pressure to make her toes curl.

"Shit, that's good," Santana murmured, allowing herself to be generous with her praise since Dani had been so vocal earlier. She was rewarded for her comment when Dani moved one hand closer to her core to let her fingers circle her entrance.

Santana felt another jolt of arousal rush through her at the thought of what was about to happen and she didn't even try to hold back the loud moan that escaped her as Dani slid two fingers deep inside her.

She tightened her grip on Dani's hair as the blonde began to slowly move her fingers in and out, giving Santana time to adjust as she worked up to a fast pace. Santana was freely letting out sounds fo encouragement as the other woman easily built her up to her peak. The combination of a woman going down on her while fucking her with her fingers never failed to work Santana up, but with how talented Dani was with both her tongue and her fingers, she could tell she was headed towards one hell of an orgasm.

Fortunately, Dani showed no signs of slowing or stopping as Santana got closer and closer to the edge. A particularly rough thrust was all it took for Santana to finally reach her climax and she came with a loud, breathless cry while firmly gripping Dani's hair and keeping her close.

When she finally came down from the overwhelming amount of pleasure, she released her hold on the blonde locks and raised both hands to stroke her own hair out of her face, "Holy fuck," she muttered, still reeling from the powerful orgasm.

Dani's smug expression rivaled the one that Santana had given her only several minutes earlier. The dark-haired woman couldn't find it in her to be bothered by the look as she knew it was well deserved.

"Watching you come is easily the sexiest thing I've ever seen," Dani said as she moved beside Santana and took the worn out woman into her arms.

Santana welcomed the embrace and cuddled closer as she caught her breath, "Clearly you've never seen yourself come then, because I have to tell you, that was seriously hot."

Dani chuckled as she stroked a hand through Santana's hair, "Can't say I've ever seen that, so I guess I'll have to take your word for it."

"You don't _have_ to," Santana shot back cheekily, "That's what mirrors and sex tapes are for."

Dani laughed again, "Is it weird to say I kind of wish we had a recording of what just happened. Because damn that's the best sex I've had in a long time…maybe ever."

Santana smiled at the comment, knowing she felt the exact same way, "I don't think it's weird, it would definitely be the best lesbian porn ever and we could have made a shitload of money."

"That's a good point," Dani agreed, "And here I was just selfishly thinking of using it for personal reasons."

"No reason it can't be both," Santana replied with a smirk, "It could make us a ton of money _and_ give us fantastic masturbation material."

"You really are unlike any woman I have ever met," Dani commented, her smile indicating the statement was definitely a compliment. She leaned in for a long, tender kiss before pulling away to stand up. "Can I get you something to drink? I was going to grab some water…I have a feeling the night's only just beginning."

"Water would be good, and I think you're definitely right about that," Santana responded, taking the opportunity to check Dani out as she made her way across the room to the small kitchen.

After a brief break to hydrate, Dani and Santana eagerly resumed their earlier activities for another round, and then another, until the two women were too exhausted to continue. The last thing Santana was consciously aware of before sleep took over was the soothing sensation of Dani trailing her fingers along her back as she held her close.

When Santana awoke the next morning, she was a little worried that the night that seemed too good to be true may in fact have all been an amazing dream. However, as soon as she opened her eyes and took in her surroundings, that fear quickly dissipated. Sunlight filled the small studio, making it seem even warmer and cheerier than it had the night before. Dani wasn't in bed beside her, but it wasn't hard to locate the blonde given the size of the apartment and Santana watched as she made coffee across the room. Her blonde hair was swept up into a messy bun and an oversized t-shirt covered a good bit of her body, but left her legs bare to Santana's appreciative gaze.

"Good morning," Santana mumbled sleepily as she sat up to stretch, not bothering to fix the covers that slipped down to pool around her waist, leaving her breasts exposed.

Dani glanced over her shoulder with a smile, her gaze briefly dropping to Santana's chest before focusing back on her face, "Good morning," she returned the greeting before turning around to pour two cups of coffee. "I hope I didn't wake you."

Santana shook her head and moved over on the bed to leave more room for the other woman. She accepted the mug she was offered with a grateful smile, "I slept really well actually, your bed is super comfortable."

Dani grinned as she settled on the bed beside Santana, "Good…although I don't know if the bed is entirely responsible for that, I think I wore you out pretty good last night."

"That you did," Santana replied with a wink as she took a cautious sip of her coffee, relieved to find it wasn't too hot. "I'd be up for a repeat performance this morning though…unless you need more time to recover from last night."

"Trust me, I would love nothing more than to spend the entire day revisiting what we did last night…but unfortunately I have to go to work," Dani sighed, her expression conveying her disappointment and frustration.

"Oh, right," Santana said with a nod, "I guess roller derby doesn't exactly pay the bills."

Dani shook her head, "I wish it did, that would be amazing. But no, it's more of a hobby. A hobby that sometimes leads to some amazing benefits…"

Santana laughed at that, "I don't know how I feel about being referred to as a benefit," she joked, before deciding to subtly broach the topic that had been on her mind for a good part of the night as well as the morning, "So, when is your next game or match or whatever?" She asked, hoping the question seemed casual.

"Two weeks," Dani replied, "We have this weekend off and then we have a bout in Providence the week after."

"Oh, cool," Santana said with a nod, her good mood dropping as it became clear she wouldn't have a chance to stop by another bout and see Dani anytime soon.

"So since I'm free this weekend, I was wondering if I could take you out? As amazing as last night was, I'd love to take you on a proper date, if that's alright with you?"

Santana couldn't help the grin that spread across her face as she nodded, "Yeah, I'd like that."

"Good," Dani replied, the relief evident on her face as she returned Santana's smile. "Guess I should get your number so I can set something up," she said as she reached over to her nightstand to grab her phone before handing it to Santana.

The dark-haired woman took the phone and entered her number before handing it back to Dani with a smirk, "It's good to know my skills in bed are still strong enough to get a date."

"Oh very much so," Dani confirmed with an amused smile as her gaze wandered over Santana's still naked form, "But next time I'll definitely be the one taking control."

Santana felt her body instantly respond to the comment as well as the assertive tone. She swallowed roughly before trying to downplay her obvious arousal before she could get too worked up, "Next time, huh? I'll have you know I don't put out after a first date, so you might be waiting a while." She was bluffing and she knew Dani knew it, but she couldn't resist the opportunity to tease the other woman.

"Who said anything about waiting until after the first date?" Dani challenged as she set down her coffee mug before pulling her shirt over her head.

Santana's gaze hungrily swept over Dani's body, "What about work?" She knew they had a limited amount of time until Dani needed to leave for her job, and she wasn't about to start something that would leave her horny beyond belief without any relief.

Dani simply smirked as she took Santana's mug from her to move it to the nightstand, "I think this is what sick days are made for," she explained with a wink as she moved back toward the bed.

Santana couldn't help but smile as her heart rate picked up, knowing her day off was about to become way more fun than she'd ever imagined. She briefly had the thought that she really needed to thank Rachel for dragging her to the roller derby, but quickly shoved the thought aside as Dani claimed her mouth in a rough, passionate kiss.

* * *

A/N: I'm hoping some of you will weigh in on a debate between me and my girlfriend (her fanfic username is deluce, her stories are fantastic, check them out if you haven't already). While we both think that Dani and Santana would be vers, she thinks that Santana would more often be the top due to her personality, whereas I think Dani is more likely to be a top as they would both get a lot out of Santana giving up control/having control taken from her.

I'm curious as to what others think - please review or send me a PM about whether you see Santana as a top or Dani as a top. If people actually weigh in and vote, I'll write a special smutty oneshot featuring whoever wins (Dani or Santana) in a very dominant/top role.


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